Silence
by Sanguinary Tears
Summary: It's 1888: Sesshomaru's a doctor in London. He encounters a ghost from his past he believed to be dead under the most odd circumstances:the dissecting table.After reuniting with his past, murders plauge the East End. Can he and Inuyasha find the murderer?
1. Chapter 1

_If you are not comfortable with blood and gore, read at your own risk! (I've always wanted to say that). _

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and I certainly do not own or know Jack the Ripper.

Summary: It's 1888 and the Anatomy Law is still in place in England. With time passed, the only thing a certain demon lord can do is blend in and take up a career in the new world and try new things. Sesshomaru is a doctor in London and he encounters a person he believed to be dead for more than three hundred years under the most shocking circumstances: the dissecting table. After reuniting with his past, vast gruesome murders plague the East End of London. Can they discover who the murdered is before the murdered finds them?

_

* * *

_

Silence 

_Chapter I: The Body_

Sesshomaru had never been pleased having had to leave Japan behind to begin anew in a city that took him a long time to understand, but it had been necessary considering what had driven him away. The only trinkets he had brought back with him were his memories and Rin. Rin had quickly adapted to her new surroundings and spent most of her time socializing, shopping, attending operas, concerts, or helping her father with his work.

Even as the years had converted into centuries, Sesshomaru could not forget why he had left. He tried, but no matter how hard he tried, the truth never left him in peace. It was somewhat ironic that he had become a doctor as his remorse was linked with the dead. As life would have it, today he was expecting a body to perform an autopsy, but the body that was soon to arrive at his office on Cavendish Square, had been discovered in peculiar circumstances that even had him baffled.

The hospital he conducted business with had hardly given him any information concerning the cadaver; only that they could not fathom what had caused the man's death. Sesshomaru had agreed to perform an autopsy to see what he could learn. Just as Sesshomaru was preparing his operating theatre at his estate, his vigorous daughter Rin came running into the room holding a note for the young doctor.

Sesshomaru looked up from the many beakers holding the necessary chemicals to use of the coming cadaver, to frown at her. He laid down the glass instruments on his glass covered cabinets.

"Rin I've told you many times not to come running in here when I'm expecting a corpse. It's dangerous and not something a women should see." Sesshomaru reprimand his illegitimate daughter. Rin stopped before him and smiled. She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek in a daughterly manner. Sesshomaru sighed and pried her off him, but not before patting her head.

"I'm sorry Sesshomaru-sama, but I could not spare a second longer to inform you about the most amazing news that's swept through London!" Rin cried zealously. "There's been another murder in the East End and Scotland Yard is just as bewildered as the first case! What do you make of it Sesshomaru-sama?"

Sesshomaru lifted a beaker of arterial preservative and injected a syringe into the mouth of the glass and extracted the chemical to use during the autopsy. As he did this, he glanced up at his daughter and remarked blandly, "Another murder? I'm surprised Scotland Yard hasn't solved these eccentric murders by now. What are they waiting for, another four victims?" he put everything down and wiped his hands clean on a towel.

"Since they cannot figure out whom the murderer is, Rin I want you to be home before the gas lamps are lit. It's becoming too dangerous for you to stay out late." Sesshomaru declared to the young lady. Rin frowned dejectedly; she sat down on his stool and placed her chin on her hands.

"But Sesshomaru-sama, please you're being unreasonable. Nothing bad will happen to me. We've been living here in London for a long time now and we have never experienced any difficulties since we've arrived…well save for the French Revolution, and some other uncalled for events. But nothing will happen." Rin pleaded desperately. She gave him a look that even Sesshomaru could not hope to disobey.

He turned away before her gaze compelled him to yield to her pleads. He shook his head and argued sternly, "No Rin, my mind is made up. It's for your own well-being. These are not times to taunt death; you must keep in mind that the new century is drawing closer to us and with it there are sure to be new things awaiting us."

Rin pouted innocently, but she knew it would do her no good to continue pleading. He had already made up his mind and when he made up his mind on something, Sesshomaru was inexorable. Sesshomaru stole a look at her and sighed inaudibly under his breath. He did not like to see her frown, but she had to understand he was only doing this for her own welfare.

"Rin is there any way I can make it up to you? I know you do not like this, but I…perhaps an outing to the opera could lighten up your mood? Will I have the honor of taking you to see whatever is playing tonight?" Sesshomaru offered to her as a means of seeing her smile. Rin looked up and smiled weakly at him. She stood from her seat and went to him. She embraced him lovingly and kissed his cheek again.

"You forget father that you are expecting company tonight. A Mr. Cadaver if you recall is coming tonight. How about tomorrow night when you are not busy?" she reminded him of his affairs with the corpse that should have arrived by now. Sesshomaru frowned forlornly and released her.

"I'm sorry Rin I forgot about tonight. Tomorrow night will be fine, just please promise me you will not go outside after dark alone?" said Sesshomaru.

Rin smiled at him before disappearing out the door from which she entered before he could call her back. He did not need to look after her to know where she was going. She always left the house while he was going to perform dissections and autopsies because of the horrendous putrefying smell. Which contradicated what he had just said to her. Sesshomaru returned to setting everything up and at the stroke of eight the door bell rang.

Sesshomaru answered the door and was greeted with the corpse he had been waiting for all day. He paid the person who had brought him the body and carried it to his small anatomical study to perform his appointed duty. The lifeless cadaver was wrapped in white cotton sheets and had a thick yellow cord that sustained the sheets from falling apart.

The cadaver was surprisingly light as he hauled the body through the door and placed it onto the table. Everything was set, but the only thing that needed to be done was to unwrap the sheets then he could begin. He reached out and pulled the yellow cord and allowed the white sheets to slide off the body into a heap of fabric on the floor. Long dull white hair, that appeared to have once been brilliant silver, hid the face of the dead man. Sesshomaru scrutinized the corpse carefully, and gently pushed away the disarrayed tresses concealing the face.

It was one thing to fear nightmares and know they could not possibly come turn and it was another concept altogether to live them out those very same nightmares. The body that had been brought to him was straight out of his bloodiest dreams of chaos. That cadaver laid out before him covered in only a thin sheet of white fabric was the reason why he had fled from Japan in the first place. Seeing him again was enough to make Sesshomaru go insane, but he clenched his sanity and muttered only one word that said all: Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru pressed his index and middle finger to the cold side of Inuyasha's neck and snarled. He was indeed dead, but how? In fact just how had he arrived here in London if he had already been dead and buried for nearly three hundred years, to begin with? No something was tremendously wrong with this spontaneous turn of events.

Inuyasha had died during the final battle against Naraku and all had ended with his death. Naraku perished, the jewel refused to bring the hanyou back to life and it was the end to one chapter and the beginning of another. The miko had nothing more to do in the Feudal Era since he wasn't alive, the monk and demon slayer had left them unwillingly, but there was nothing they could do. Even the kitsune had decided to start a new life without the half breed around.

After he had expired from the world of the living, everything had changed. As the years drifted away with the breezes of unsustainable seasons that were forever perpetual, Sesshomaru had never forgotten how his stupid sibling had died just so he could save his friend's lives at the risk of his own. Sesshomaru stopped himself from remembering any further. Once was enough to relive the past, he didn't want to remember anymore.

"How did you get here Inuyasha? You've been dead for more then three centuries. It's impossible for you to be here when I myself saw you meet your miserable death...and yet you were always one to defy logic." Sesshomaru mumbled to his dead brother. His cold pale hands clenched the side of Inuyasha's face and he examined it. He pried open his eye lids and examined his hollow golden eyes and sighed.

In frustration Sesshomaru rubbed his temples and cursed. His past would never allow him to forget. He looked intently at the still figure on the table and remarked sharply, "Even in death Inuyasha you manage to disrupt my life. No matter how much I run, you always manage to find me and make me remember why you aren't alive anymore. Even in death your silence tells me I could have saved you, but time and time again I tell you I…" he did not finish.

It was foolish of him to chastise a corpse and especially his worthless brother who was as adamant as him. And there he was observing his brother's dead body and caught between defying Inuyasha's corpse by dissecting it or allowing it to rot. Either option in his opinion was welcoming, but if Rin found out…

Sesshomaru threw the sheet over Inuyasha's pale face and left him in his anatomical study to deal with later on in the night when Rin arrived and was fast asleep. He turned off the lights and closed the door behind him with an unintentional force. Sesshomaru walked down the hall unevenly and threw himself onto his comfortable armchair, only this night he found no comfort sitting in it like the other long cold nights in the past.

He began to contemplate carefully; he had his dead brother's corpse just down the hall and was in the first process of decomposing, he was expecting Rin to come running through the front door and discovering Inuyasha's body and her screams once she saw him. The only thing he could do to ward off the excruciating headache he felt coming to harass him, was contained within a crystal vial encasing small white pills that were made to relieve him of the pain. He reached out to the small side table and pulled out a vial containing capsules. He unscrewed the cap and took two aspirins.

Sesshomaru set aside the vial and poured a glass of water to drink the capsules with. With a toss of his head, he swallowed the pills and forced himself to swallow them. As much as he tried, he could not bare the taste the pills produced on his sensitive senses. The weary doctor slouched further into his chair and released a suppressed sigh. He had no idea what he was going to do with this new ordeal now presented to him.

I could always just dispose of the body and say it never arrived. Sesshomaru formulated, but the concept had its flaws. There were witnesses after all who could testify that the body had indeed been delivered to his estate and the least thing he needed was going to court. Another sigh. Then what am I going to do? I can't under any circumstances have him here where Rin can easily see if and think the worst. The further he mused and tortured himself about the cadaver, the less he became aware of his surroundings and his muffled thoughts.

Slowly his thoughts were askew and made no sense; they were mere clumps of meaningless words, that, if he had been alert, could have possibly meant something and been something of use rather then a waste of energy. The glass which he had held slipped from his thin pale hands and shattered to the fine solid oak floor. In seconds Sesshomaru was fast asleep. Perhaps, had he paid closer attention to the vial he had grabbed, he would still be awake and have noticed the creaking of his anatomical door opening and the heavy footsteps that had once been light, approach him? And if he could indeed praise himself over his audacity and alertness, then he would have seen his brother standing in front of him, alive and but not at all well. But alas he did not.

_

* * *

_

_A/N: I'm not sure what to say, only that I'm back with another story, this time it's decorated with large portions of gore, blood, murders and violence, and if you look hard enough, a small pinch of romance_—_ though it will be coated with blood and organs. Before you turn away from what I just said _—_okay I'm not sure how I'm going to convince you all to stay_—_but please give it a chance. The idea seemed…I can't say pleasant, so I'll substitute the word 'pleasant' for 'enthralling' instead. The idea came to me after I finished reading this book about body snatching and dissection and the 'cholera morbus', a disease that ran ramped during the early years of the 19__th__ century. It seemed like something that could be turned into a suspenseful story, but I'm not sure right now. I'll leave it to you all to make the decision. Please tell me what you think and if I should continue…_


	2. Chapter II Arsenic

_I'm glad some people are enjoying the story so far. Thanks for reading and for the reviews! _

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. All rights are reserved to Rumiko Takahashi, Viz and Sunrise.

_

* * *

_

_Silence_

_Chapter II: Arsenic_

The front door slammed closed and footsteps ran up the stairs to the second storey of the manor-house, bringing Sesshomaru out of his drug induced sleep. His golden eyes came alive at the startling sound and he was once more awake—though he continued to see things blurry and askew. It took him a few seconds to collect his composer and set out to investigate the noise.

His first conclusion once his mind was clear and he could see and think clearly was, Rin had returned from her outing. Then another sinister perception entered his mind: Inuyasha. He did not need to think twice before he was walking down the hallway to his anatomical room to see how spontaneous his thoughts had evolved in such a short time.

It was preposterous to think that a corpse could be reanimated and function again, but Sesshomaru was not one to take any chances. Inuyasha was a half-demon and perhaps that could allow him to return. Sesshomaru opened the door and lit the closest gas lamp to see inside the room. Everything was as how he had left it: Inuyasha lay still on the table, his entire body covered with the white sheet and all his instruments were in their orderly places as he willed it.

It took him a long moment to conclude everything was how it should be in his anatomical room. Sesshomaru ran a hand through his long silver hair and closed the door; failing to see if the cadaver veiled under the white sheet did indeed conceal the body of his dead brother.

Sesshomaru did not think about it anymore; he traversed down the hallway to the fleet of stairs and went up the twenty steps to reach the other storey. In seconds he was knocking on Rin's door and entering her room when he received no response. Sesshomaru called out her name, only silence answered him.

It must have been my imagination, those pills I mistook for aspirin were a concoction of arsenic I carelessly left besides my armchair to study. Sesshomaru chastised himself for being so careless, but Inuyasha's eccentric arrival had left him ill at ease. He closed the door and went down the twenty steps, but as he reached the last step, he couldn't help but get the feeling as if there were eyes looking after him.

He froze right where he was and slowly turned around to look up the stairs to locate what seemed to be staring at him. He did not fear it, he merely felt vexed and above all else, stressed to the point of a mental breakdown. Never had he been so close to lose his composer, but having Inuyasha's dead cadaver under his roof was enough to make him want to revive him and kill him again.

Sesshomaru, however, did no such thing, no matter how simple it could have been. As his fatigue mind knew even before he searched the darkness and shadows of the second storey, he was met with absolutely nothing. Even if there was nothing there, he could vaguely sense the presence of another.

The young doctor rubbed the side of his face and sighed in frustration. Either it was the arsenic he mistook for aspirin, or Inuyasha had enough power even in death to bring out the worst in him. Sesshomaru languidly returned to the living room and his frustration and fatigue soon disappeared entirely. For the first time in more then a century Sesshomaru was experiencing sheer panic.

The door to his anatomical room was slightly ajar and he could swear he had closed it securely. Gingerly Sesshomaru ran down the hallway to the room, but stopped in mid-stride when a cold solid hand caught his wrist. His eyes were trained to the door; they did not meet the person's who held him back. Deep down he knew who it was without even glancing down, but he was reluctant to believe it.

The hand that caught his wrist viciously clenched and dug his nails into the doctor's flesh. He felt no pain, only bewilderment and horror. It wasn't possible; surely this was only a result of the arsenic concocting such nightmares for the young doctor to experience. Corpses were merely lifeless cadavers which possessed no soul or emotions once they expired, and only served to be used for the purposes of furthering advancement for science and to save more lives. They were unable to be reanimated. It went against laws of science and sanctity. Yet it was real.

"You seem a little pale Sesshomaru, is something wrong?" asked the man who still refused to release his hold on his brother's wrist. Sesshomaru finally looked sternly into the face of his brother and rejoinder, "I'm perfectly fine…Inuyasha, but I can't say the same thing for you."

Inuyasha smiled lifelessly and continued, "You can't expect anything different once you're dead. Tell me, aren't you in the least bit glad to see me Sesshomaru? Even someone like you is capable of possessing some emotions for their blood."

"The only person I now consider family is Rin; you are nothing more to me now that you are dead. But now answer me this: for what purposes are you here for Inuyasha? How did you get here and how did you succeed in finding me after all these years?" Sesshomaru questioned persistently. He was entitled to know how Inuyasha had come about him and for what purpose after so many years of death. Surely it must be for a good reason, however knowing Inuyasha better then anyone else, Sesshomaru presumed it to be a frivolous reason.

"My reasons for being here are not in the less bit puerile Sesshomaru. I'm here because I came to warn you about the murders that are plaguing this weird place. You must put an end to them before…well let's just say if you don't start immediately investigating who the murderer is, the murderer will first find what you hold precious and kill her, than save you for last." Inuyasha proclaimed, all the while smiling deadly. He looked nothing like the Inuyasha from the past; there was something eccentrically frightening about the half-breed now, but Sesshomaru failed to discover what it was.

The young doctor didn't have time to determine what was different about his younger brother; he now had to worry about Rin. Sesshomaru paled and turned rigid. His golden eyes hardened and took on a menacing glint that only served to further amuse Inuyasha.

"What are you saying Inuyasha? That this mad man is going to make Rin his next victim? What do you know!" Sesshomaru snarled callously, yet he remained calm if only on the outside. Inside he was in a severe state of anxiety and panic. He couldn't afford to lose Rin, she was the only thing he had left and she deserved to live. Inuyasha shrugged and laughed.

"You're wasting time yelling at me Sesshomaru. Each second you waste here endangers Rin, god and the murderer only knows what's going to become of her if you squander anymore time then you have already and be too late to save her. Go Sesshomaru, you can worry about me later _if_ you manage to save her before it's too late." Inuyasha jeered and never lost the nerve to stop smirking.

Sesshomaru snarled in rage, but the tone in Inuyasha's voice was not something he could ignore. Rin was supposed to be here by now and still she hadn't arrived. Something must be dreadfully wrong if something was detaining her from coming home by now. Sesshomaru yanked his wrist from Inuyasha's grasp, he shot a vindictive glare at Inuyasha and hissed, "I can only hope you are wrong Inuyasha."

"Hoping won't do you much good Sesshomaru. At times action speaks more than mere words." Inuyasha countered acidly. He leaned forward and looked to the clock that hung on the wall behind his brother. He cocked his head to the side and mused, "How much longer before she meets her end I wonder."

Sesshomaru spontaneously spun around to face the clock his brother was engrossed in and read the time to be ten o' clock. Now there was no doubt in his mind Rin was in some sort of danger. Sesshomaru turned back to ask Inuyasha one more thing, but there was no one there anymore; only the cold atmosphere a cadaver is solely capable of creating.

The young doctor searched for his reanimated brother, who had just been present, but he was no where to be found now. Sesshomaru clasped his face in his hands and mentally cursed. The only thing he could conclude from these stranger appreciations was that Inuyasha was trying to advise him something was going to happen if he didn't find the killer and put a stop to all these gruesome murders.

Sesshomaru grabbed his coat and pistol from the side table stationed at the doorway right besides the front door, and ran off to search for Rin and bring her home safely before it was too late. _God, please let him be wrong!_

_

* * *

_

_A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't great and interesting, but things in the next chapter are going to get…shall we say bloody and horrific. And sorry about the ooc-ness from Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, but that's how they're going to be for a few more chapters (at least I think. It all depends on where the story goes). Thank you for the reviews, they really helped to get another chapter typed up and posted! I hope you enjoyed, please tell me what you think about it! Oh and one thing concerning the reason why Sesshomaru is carrying a pistol. He's only carrying it because it was the time when all people including men, women and even children, were armed to protect themselves. Though Sesshomaru is more than able to defend himself without a weapon, but it just helps to make things more historically accurate. _


	3. Chapter III: Sarcasm

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. All rights are solely reserved to Rumiko Takahashi, VIZ, and Sunrise. And of course, I have no notion whatsoever as to the true identity of "Jack the Ripper".

_

* * *

_

_Chapter III: Sarcasm _

The hour was somewhere remotely close to ten or perhaps eleven at night. To anyone's amazement the streets were void of human life and activity. No one sane was brazen enough to wander out at night when there was a serial killer out on the lose threatening the peace and stable lives of the populace of London.

The young physician ran swiftly down the streets in sheer earnest to locate his missing daughter Rin. Every time he passed a dark alleyway his mind had a strong tendency to concoct the most outrageous images that perhaps Rin was hidden with the blankets of darkness and begin dissected and defied by this mad character named Jack the Ripper.

This compelling notice that affected his abilities to think passed in seconds before he dismissed it and continued running down the slippery streets. At each corner there was a ponderous pool of light that only allowed a certain amount of light to illuminate the street. Sesshomaru, however, did not have to rely on the assistance of such a trivial thing as light to guide him in his search. He was, after all, a full-blooded dog demon with an exceptional nose and eye that gave him an extra advantage in his profession and in other matters as well.

But sadly now these abilities that had for a better part of a century proved even more useful in times like these, were failing him. Even with these remarkable advantages, Rin's scent was impossible to locate. There was something quite strong disenabling him to find her. He was not sure what it was, but time was not something he could spare. Every second he wasted was a second Rin was closer to death. Long ago he had left Soho and he now found himself in the East Side.

Sesshomaru slowed down his paced until he completely stopped. Having resided in London for more than two century, Sesshomaru had hardly ever stepped foot on the East End. He could remember for the most part having come here to answer a few calls requiring his assistance, but he made it a habit of his not to travel to this part of the city. For a moment he studied the battered buildings and the filth coated streets. How it was possible that anyone could live under such conditions astonished him. Sesshomaru looked to his right and read the street sign: White Chapel High Street.

Again he vaguely knew this part of London; still he knew enough to allow him to search the streets. A bit further up White Chapel High Street he turned left on Commercial Street and continued down that way. There was something in air that made his blood run colder than it already was; it was a feeling that was not good at all. His pace was slow, yet alert. Every now and again he looked behind to see if all was well.

Just as he decided there was nothing solid to presume Rin was anywhere near this part of the city, a frightening cry that was so weak, Sesshomaru almost thought it was the wind, shattered the silence of the night. From the moment that familiar whimper traveled down Wilkes Street, Sesshomaru's body was not his own. He dashed off down Wilkes Street until he saw up ahead the street sign reading Hanbury Street. He was not at all sure what awaited him down the street, but he knew for certain it was something he would not like at all.

Sesshomaru came to a swift stop when he heard the most disturbing sound in all his life that he should have been accustomed to due to his experience with it in the past, and with his profession now. It was the sound of steel cutting flesh, and blood spilling to the filthy floor. Each drop that fell, he could hear it as clear as if it were the melody of a violin. Then as soon as it had begun, it came to a stop. Sesshomaru cursed himself for stopping and ran off towards the scent of blood. He nearly collapsed when he saw the carved cadaver of the victim on the ground, with her throat slit and her entire chest and abdominal carved opened and with some of her organs missing.

She was lifelessly facing left and it was clear to him right away, since he was a man of medicine, that she had first been strangled, then butchered. Sesshomaru dropped to his knees, not caring at all for his clothes, and placed the dead girl's head on his knee. He caressed her cold pale face and felt close to dying himself. Rin had been alive only just a few minutes ago; he could tell by how warm and fresh her blood was. He had been so close to saving her by mere seconds, and yet he had to ask, would he have been able to save her even then?

Her brown doe eyes were wide open, hollow and terrified. Her mouth was partly open. She was unbearable to look at, yet her deformity was not enough to make him turn away. He had loved her so much, so much that he had valued her life more than his own. Together they had seen time pass by and bring them to this new century that was drawing to an end. Now more than ever, Sesshomaru felt guilt. He had promised her they would attend a play tomorrow, but that day would never come and her innocent laughter would never be heard again.

Sesshomaru looked up from Rin's countenance and examined the ground for any traces of Rin's killer. There was nothing, not even the slightest whiff of a scent or presence of life. He did not have much time left to sorrow; surely the lodgers of the residence where Rin's body was had heard her last cry and come to investigate. A blur caught Sesshomaru's eye and he sprang forward, only to see that it was Inuyasha.

"Who is he? You know damn well who this madman is, don't you Inuyasha? Tell me his name now!" Sesshomaru snarled.

Inuyasha ignored his brother's anger and went to Rin. He examined her quickly and smelt the air surrounding her. There was a twitch at the corner of his lips, as if he was fighting off a smile, and he faced Sesshomaru with a dark expression that silenced the eldest brother. He stood and said acidly, "I can't tell you since I don't know _who_ the hell it is you idiot. Instead of interrogating me for information I obviously don't have, let's get the hell out of here so I can tell you something rather amusing."

Sesshomaru froze; he could not bring himself to leave Rin as she was for everyone to see. Why, he had failed to note that her skirts had been lifted and…well one can get the picture. Before he objected, aged footfalls made them both realize it was time to go. Inuyasha grabbed his brother by the wrist and shoved him forward to get him to run. It did not take long before they were fleeing from the scene of the crime back to Soho, where they could discuss matters further and without interruptions.

It would not take long before all of London found out about Rin's death and the real hell began for Sesshomaru. Not only would he have to conduct his own investigation once he made his decision to do so, he would have to be careful when the constables would come to knock him up (British way for saying knocking on your door) and question him about Rin.

By the time they ran from White Chapel to Soho, it was already 6:00 a.m. and the day was beginning. Safe behind the walls of his house, Sesshomaru was able to relax, if only for a moment before his rage got the best of him and he lashed out, "Is this carnage what you brought with you from the dead? I can almost beat my life that _you_ have some part in this bloodshed. When you were brought back by whatever means, something sinister came with you. Now because of you, Rin is dead!"

Inuyasha regarded Sesshomaru with a bored manner and smiled. For the first time since their conversation a few hours ago, Sesshomaru noticed Inuyasha was no longer dressed in a simple sheet concealing his modesty. Why the damn half-breed was clad in the most formal attire which, compared to Sesshomaru's own dress, it made him seem plain and unfashionable. Inuyasha saw the confusion in Sesshomaru's eyes, and laughed.

"Did you think I was going to run around this city dressed in only a sheet? Hah, you really are a complete idiot no matter how many degrees you have in whatever you do for a living. You're not the only one in this family who still has dignity, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha remarked.

"I can care _less _how you wish to go attired around this city, half-breed. All I want from you are answers." Sesshomaru growled. The air around them turned cold and deadly still. This new animosity even put to shame their old hatred for each other years passed. It was funny to see what time could do to a thing like hate. Instead of diminishing it, it only served to make it stronger and deadlier.

There was a pause between both siblings before Inuyasha's laughter shattered the quietness of the living room. He smiled without humor and hissed, "Stop wasting your breath Sesshomaru and listen well. I don't care if you believe me or not, but once you get a chance to thoroughly examine Rin's body, you'll have your proof."

Sesshomaru waited for Inuyasha to continue, but when he saw he was waiting for some sort of response from him, Sesshomaru asked slowly, "What do you mean by what I failed to notice just now, half-breed?" Inuyasha showed no signs of annoyance when Sesshomaru kept insulting him. He merely disregarded it and proceeded.

"Maybe if you had taken the time to examine her body more clearly just now, and hell I'm surprised you didn't even notice it before, but Rin was hiding something from you, Sesshomaru. Something I'm going to let you find out on your own." Inuyasha said, slyly.

"Something she was hiding?" Sesshomaru repeated, trying to grasp the meaning of his younger dead brother's words. When he looked back up to strangle the answer out of Inuyasha's slender neck, the damn half-breed was gone and there was a knock at the door. Even before he went to answer it, he knew it was the police coming to tell him they had found Rin's body and wanted to speak with him down at Scotland Yard. There was no need for him to don a false mask of remorse when he already was dejected and fazed.

* * *

A/N: Personally I thought my first attempt was better, but I had to revise it because I noticed while I was writing the fourth chapter that I made a mistake that messed up the whole story. I'm so sorry, please forgive me! And just if anyone's wondering, the real victim of Jack the Ripper was Annie Chapman. Her body was found at 23A Hanbury Street at about 6:00 a.m. on 8th September 1888. (which is when Rin is murdered as well). Another thing, don't let the word "sarcasm" trick you. The _sarc _in _sarcasm _in Greek means "flesh".

Again I'm extremely sorry!


	4. Chapter IV: Dreary

Some out-of-characterness from Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, sorry!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. All rights are solely reserved to Rumiko Takahashi, VIZ, and Sunrise. And of course I do know the true identity of "Jack the Ripper".

_

* * *

_

_Silence _

_Chapter IV: Dreary_

For nearly three hours Sesshomaru was questioned by the police, asking him what his relationship was to the victim. Her Father. When they had arrived from Japan to London. 7th October, 1877. How old he was now. Twenty-nine. Was he married? Bachelor. Had he been aware of the lifestyle she associated herself with. Yes, she had…Had she ever lied to him? No. Was he sure? Yes…Would he like to see her just to make sure it was her? Yes.

After the long series of questions, at long last Sesshomaru got to see Rin. He was not surprised at all when he was told that they had performed an autopsy on her to see if they could find any evidence. He said he understood. They knew he was a doctor, and a well known and respected doctor at that. He was led into the anatomical room and there he saw his Rin. She was respectfully covered and her throat was stitched up. He remained indifferent. Her face and part of her neck had been cleaned from the spilled blood.

If he wanted to, he could dismiss the stitches and specks of blood, and Sesshomaru could almost mistake this image and think she was only sleeping. He was right; she was sleeping and she would never awaken again. The surgeon who performed the autopsy offered his deepest condolence to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru nodded his head in acknowledge and waited.

The surgeon, who was in his mid-thirties and appeared to know his profession quite well, told him she had been first strangled, followed by her throat being silted, and finally her chest and abdominal had been cut open and some parts were missing:-part of the belly wall including the navel; the womb…and other things that should not be mentioned as this is rated T. There was also evidence that…

Again Sesshomaru understood. He listened to everything they said; there was nothing else he could really do now. After the report was read to him, he was informed that he could have the body back in two days. Sesshomaru would wait. He was allowed to leave without further delay. Once he returned home, the first thing Sesshomaru did was lock himself up in his anatomical room for the rest of the day. He did not eat (though he scarcely did that in the first place) and he never left his studies.

It was until night time when he at last emerged gaunt-looking and died from his anatomical room. What he did all those long hours only he knew, but be it whatever it was, it must have been grave. Sesshomaru numbly poured himself a glass of whisky and soda, and swirled it idly. He looked down into the golden liquid and saw only his reflection.

He could image what Rin would have said to him if she had seen him drinking such a drink. She would have told him to throw it away and simply read to ward away tension and exhaustion. But now, there was no one to tell him to throw away this glass of alcohol; there was absolutely no one else for him at all. His brother did not count; Inuyasha was dead, and merely because he function like a stiff old man did not mean he could be considered a living, breathing being with a soul.

He slowly brought the glass of whisky to his lips, and was about to drink when…

"Hn, drinking are you, Sesshomaru? How amusing. I wonder what the old man would have said if he'd be able to see you fall to your lowest. What's even funnier is the fact that you're a doctor and know the hazardous of drinking, yet that doesn't stop you." Inuyasha pulled the glass from his brother's slender pale hands and threw the alcohol into the fire. For a moment both watched the flames consume it, then the fire became still.

"What do you want now? Hasn't Rin's death been enough amusement for you already Inuyasha? Or do you simply want more carnage to quench your thirst of blood and that degrading appetite of yours?" Sesshomaru said, callously. His eyes were hard, and they resembled the same color as the glass of whisky that had been given to feed the fire. Yes, the color of his eyes did resemble so much that glass of alcohol so much more than he could ever hope to imagine.

"Stop acting like a child you _confounded _fool. Roll's smoothing off the tongue, doesn't it? Instead of feeling sorry for yourself for not being able to save her, you should put your knowledge (if you have any left) and skills (I'm still thinking you bought your doctor's degree) and invest your time to finding this _Jack the Ripper_. Look at this way if you're going to be a stubborn fool. You'll get to avenge Rin's death, save many women's lives, which mind you, will be most grateful to you, and you get an excuse to kill someone while the populace rejoices. Doesn't that seem like something good to work by?" Inuyasha asked, setting down the empty glass on the mantelpiece and stared blankly into his brother's eyes.

"What do you gain from all of this Inuyasha? Do you get to live again if I succeed in ridding this world of such a mad man like this Jack the Ripper? Or are your intentions really to help me? Or is this simply an excuse for me to lower my guard and you try to kill me?" Sesshomaru questioned, ignoring Inuyasha's words for the moment. Inuyasha smiled slightly and laughed.

"In good time you'll see what I gain from all of this Sesshomaru, but for now all I want to know is if you are willing to find this murderer and kill him?" Inuyasha persisted, eagerly. Sesshomaru looked sternly into his brother's hollow eyes and said calmly, "I will conduct my own investigation to find the true identity of _Jack the Ripper_, however, as much as I would thoroughly enjoy ripping his throat out and skinning him alive, I will do no such thing. I would be no better then him if I do all those things I've just said to you, and possibly more things, but I will not be the one to punish him. The laws of man must be the ones to punish him, not I _or_ you, for that matter."

Inuyasha's smile grew a bit and he chuckled lightly. "I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing Sesshomaru, but you make it sound like I'll be missing something fascinating. With that said, though, and as much I hate to agree with anything you say, I agree to your assigned terms. And now, I must ask, did you find out what I was talking about this morning or I am going to have to give you a hint?"

Sesshomaru blinked, and glanced at his brother with a bewildered expression. After a moment of thinking, Sesshomaru recalled that the surgeon from earlier had been hesitate to tell him something, but at the last moment he dismissed it. Sesshomaru hadn't thought about it much, but now that Inuyasha brought it up, he was curious what it was all about.

"No, I did not find out anything remotely close to your foolish babble." Sesshomaru said curtly.

"You didn't? How unfortunate, but I'll give you a hint: it's something that "falls from the tree top, and when the wind blows, the cradle will drop." Awww, come on Sesshomaru! You can't tell me you don't know what the hell I'm talking about, can you!" Inuyasha exclaimed, irritated with his brother for not knowing.

There was a blank look on Sesshomaru's countenance before he was able to draw to conclusions the song Inuyasha just sang, and his eyes went wide. Inuyasha smirked smugly and nodded his head. "For a moment I thought you wouldn't get it, but you did at the last moment."

"How…how could this be? Surely there must be a mistake! She couldn't have…she wouldn't have! No, she wouldn't have done such a thing!"

"Have you ever considered the times she'd ever lied to you Sesshomaru? Maybe if you hadn't been so preoccupied with your work and giving her everything she wanted, she wouldn't have done something as drastic and stupid as this."

"I did give her attention…"

"But it wasn't enough. One thing was for you to give her everything, but you never really gave her attention and love."

"That's absurd! I gave her…"

"You can't even say it, much less show it."

"Enough!"

"Why, are you tied of hearing how lousy a father you were to her?"

"You're wrong Inuyasha."

"Am I? Perhaps it's only you, Sesshomaru."

"No, you are wrong; you have to be wrong…are you wrong?"

"The only thing you can do for her now is to find her killer and see that he is punished."

Sesshomaru said nothing, he was lost in his own thoughts for a long time before Inuyasha grew bore and threw a thick folder into his brother's lap. At last Sesshomaru looked up and realized Inuyasha was still there. He stared at the folder and picked it up tediously and read the side tab: victims and possible suspects.

He met Inuyasha's eyes and asked, "Where did you get this?" Inuyasha shrugged and gestured for him to open it. "Don't ask just read it and study each face, custom, manners, lifestyle, personality, where they died, how they were killed, and what was removed. This should be easy enough for you Sesshomaru. Just use all your medical knowledge." Inuyasha had been looking out the window all this time. Abruptly he pushed away and headed towards the hallway leading to the front door.

Sesshomaru stood up impulsively and asked mechanically, "Where are you going? Are you not going to stay here with me?" Inuyasha opened the door and remained serious. "I have other things to do before I can return to see how you are doing. For now you should study that file until you understand it. I'll have Rin's file for you I a couple of nights, but you'll have to make a copy of it since it will be missed."

Neither sibling said anything else as Inuyasha for once used the front door and left like a real person. With no else to do but to read the file, Sesshomaru began to read everything.

* * *

A/N: Now can the audience see why I titled this chapter _'Dreary'_? It's because nothing eventful happens. I know Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are extremely out-of-character, but I'm trying my best to keep them like their true selves. Hopefully by the next chapter they'll be themselves. 


	5. Chapter V: The Letter

My inspiration has sadly died so please forgive me, and if you haven't already guessed why, you'll soon find out. Oh and it's a long chapter with much of it consisting of dialogue.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. All rights are solely reserved to Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, and Sunrise. And of course I don't know the identity of Jack the Ripper and the Letter is factual and was written by the murderer himself.

_

* * *

_

_Silence_

_Chapter V: The Letter_

A few days had passed and thankfully there had been no further reports on any killings. To the general populace this was excellent, but to the police and Sesshomaru, not so much. The evidence they had to go on was extremely vague and every person in London knew these facts. What both the police and Sesshomaru feared the most was that they were going to have to wait for another killing to hope to learn something else for the sake of saving others.

It was something Sesshomaru was willing to take, but it also meant he was going to have to follow a stressful routine consisting of work during the day and searching for clues when the sun went down. And so far the only thing he could do was patrol the East End by himself. Inuyasha hadn't made his debut yet; no matter where Sesshomaru searched for the half-breed, he seemed to have vanished from the world. He wasn't in the places where Sesshomaru thought he could find him, and he surely wasn't in the most obvious places.

This small recess from murders was coming to an end, it had to be. Jack the Ripper was not one to stop in the middle of what he was doing, he was after something; something each of these victims had that was essential to him, but the question that remained was what? Sesshomaru vigorously wrote down some of the vague assumptions he had concluded that morning. They weren't much, but in the least they were something.

He looked down at the paper on his writing desk in his office down in Cavendish Square with a hard look. He read over it and muttered, "The first victim was missing a…" The door to his small office was opened and his attention was directed to his client. As he had compelled himself to do so many times in this new century, Sesshomaru stood and bowed his head politely as gentleman does.

Once he straightened up, he carefully observed the young woman in front of him. She was of a comely face, a nice figure, dressed in the most elegant manner, she had long ebony hair that was piled on top of her head and the most remarkable red eyes he had ever seen…it took him a moment to realize his client had red eyes.

"Good-day madam…how is it that I may be of assistance to you?" he asked, stiffly, yet remained polite. The woman hid her face behind a cream coloured fan and the only thing he could see were her eyes. She closed the fan and smiled warmly at him.

"Why with all the formalities, Sesshomaru? Don't you recognize me anymore?" the woman cooed and enjoyed seeing the sharp glint in the doctor's hard golden eyes. Sesshomaru walked around his desk and stood in front of her.

"This has gone far enough. First Inuyasha returns from the dead, and then Rin is killed by this serial killer, and now you _Kagura_? What is with all this death!" Sesshomaru snapped exasperatedly. Kagura smiled dryly, and took a seat without waiting for him to offer her one. Kagura shrugged and said, "Your life has always been surrounded by death and murder Sesshomaru, why do you seem so surprise about that?"

"I was under the impress you had been killed by Naraku…is he here as _well_?" Sesshomaru inquired coldly. Why was the dead in the habit of returning to the world of the living in this modern day and time? There surely must be an epidemic going on that he wasn't sure of.

Kagura played with her fan and returned, "No, Naraku's as good as dead, but he didn't really kill me. He just temporarily had me imprisoned within Kana's mirror so I wouldn't escape, but someone was able to get me out of there." At this comment Sesshomaru arched a fine black brow. "Was it Inuyasha that gave you freedom from Naraku's detachment's mirror…or was it someone else?"

She laughed dryly and shook her head. "Of course it wasn't Inuyasha! He was much too preoccupied doing other things then helping me escape, but I hear you and the filthy half-demon are having trouble finding _Jacky_?" Sesshomaru made good in choosing his next words more carefully.

"What do you know Kagura about these murders? Don't tell me you're working for him since I know you to do just about anything for a taste of freedom." Sesshomaru commented indifferently. Kagura's face darkened at Sesshomaru's words and she clenched her fan with a staggering strength that he thought she was going to break it as if it were a twig. However, she composed herself quickly and smiled it off.

"You really do know how to charm a girl, Sesshomaru. I wonder if you ever said such romantic things to your little wench, who I just heard was murdered as well." Kagura said sweetly, though her intentions were far from being sincere. Sesshomaru bit his tongue from saying anything that he would regret later.

"I'm beginning to suspect you and Inuyasha know more about the identity of Jack the Ripper, then what you both lead me to believe. If either of you know then why doesn't Inuyasha just simply find him and capture him himself. What role is it exactly that I play in this?" Sesshomaru pressed on, determined to learn why he was some ploy in their little game of seeking the murderer when it was highly possible that they already knew the identity.

Kagura stood up from her seat and linked her arm into Sesshomaru's and pulled him towards the front door. She grabbed his things—his top hat, coat, and gloves that were in their resting place—and towed him out the door. Before he could utter a word in protest, she snatched the key out of his breast pocket and locked the door and they both hurried down the street looking like a married couple.

Sesshomaru put on his things and as he did he asked sharply, "Where do you intend to take me Kagura that requires me to leave my office so early in the day?" He was not pleased at all, he did after all still have a profession to keep and practice. When Kagura did not answer, he gently squeezed her arm to get her to talk without arousing suspicion from passer-biers.

She looked up at him and replied formally as a young women does to her beau, "Oh Sesshomaru, darling, don't you remember you promised me we would have a bit of lunch to-day? You've been so busy with work that you hardly have time for us anymore! It's almost devastating!" She cried, theatrically, but no one seemed to notice it was a lie besides Sesshomaru. He was impelled to follow along with her little gimmick.

"Hn, you're right I have been rather preoccupied with work lately, Kagura, but you must understand I need to as to forget certain things that I don't wish to remember. In the least, however, we'll be able to _enjoy_ each other's company to-day…no matter how much I find it unbearable." Sesshomaru said sardonically, and whispered the latter part so only she could hear. They turned the corner and went straight into a little café called _Le Marquis_ (don't ask, it was the best I could come up with) where they were seated outside at her request.

Once they had ordered something light, Sesshomaru resumed his questions. "Is this your intention of a joke, Kagura? You bring me here and steal me away from my work to eat lunch with you? You're worst then Inuyasha." Sesshomaru grumbled as he stared off into the busy street. Everyone was in a hurry to do their errands, and tend to things that needed their attention. The world and its inhabitants seemed almost unwilling to stop the routine of living their lives in such a chaotic rush. He remembered life wasn't like this at all, if there was one thing this new century lacked, it was the fortune of time.

"I brought you because you looked like you could use a break from thinking so hard when there really isn't much to go on. A little fresh air won't do you harm, it might just prove to be useful." Kagura remarked her attention on the man seated across from her, then to the people on the street. Her glance at him did not go unnoticed, Sesshomaru just didn't comment on it.

They said nothing to each other and observed the people, who had normal lives, walk by until their lunch came. It was then when their conversation resumed. "Did Inuyasha tell you when he would return to pay you a little visit, Sesshomaru? He should hurry, time is running out." She took a sip of tea and patted her red lips with her napkin like the flattering of butterfly wings. Sesshomaru pushed away his plate and regarded her with an intelligent look. "So you mean to tell me you know when our friend _Jacky _is going to come out and play surgeon again, do you? When Kagura. There isn't much time to lose if he intends to strike soon." Kagura hushed him and replied, "Not so loud Sesshomaru, do you want the police to hear you? You're just going to have to be patient, and I promise you your going to get a clue soon enough. Oh, I should say in about a few more hours or so. Just keep your eyes and ears open for any signs and announcements, but when you do hear something that arouses your curiosity, that's when I suggest you act. Not now, though."

Sesshomaru frowned and his black brows were drawn together showing his displeasure. He leaned forward as a beau does to whisper and profess his love to the woman he loves, "How will he announce his return, Kagura? I can't wait anymore, as you keep me here he plots to strike and kill again. Rin has been murdered and I want to get my revenge. I refuse to leave her death go unheard and excused!"

Kagura patted Sesshomaru's clenched hand and smoothed it out. She grabbed it and said, "Even if I did tell you the identity of Jack the Ripper, there are two reasons why I restrain myself from telling you. One would obviously be the reason that you wouldn't believe me, and the second would be you would find it difficult to buy. Just be patient and wait like the rest of the populace."

Before she pulled away her hand, he caught it and held it tightly in his own. He looked deeply into her red eyes, there was no compassion shining within his golden orbs, and surely love was missing from them as well, all he wanted was her attention. Not in a romantic sort of way, but how one seeks the eyes when one is talking to someone and you want them to hear you without getting the feeling they are disregarding you.

"I am not in the habit of being kept waiting Kagura, you should know that. I won't wait. I've never concerned myself with the troubles of humans before, but now that has changed. I had to become immerse in the business of humans to protect Rin from them, and look what that has gotten me. I have no daughter left and her murderer is still at large. I could force you to talk Kagura, you know I can, but I won't do that. Instead I expect you to tell me freely without feeling threatened." Sesshomaru reasoned feverously, his eyes holding such a passion she was shocked.

The wind sorceress pulled back her hand, this time Sesshomaru did not stop her. She gestured for the waiter to come over and she asked for the bill. They hadn't eaten anything, save for the tea, but that was it. She took a glance at it and pushed it towards Sesshomaru and stood ready to leave. This was the moment Sesshomaru had been dreading; they had entered as a married couple and they would exist in the same fashion. But she surprised him—if that really is possible.

Kagura's hand slapped Sesshomaru's cheek so hard, that it made a crude noise which had all the other diners turning around to see the scandal. She glowered at him and accused, "You cheating dog! I knew you were with another woman!" with an air of grace and anger she left him where he was standing. Sesshomaru was so stunned that he felt dizzy. No woman had ever slapped him before, never. His cheek was red and hurting as if someone had placed a hot iron rod against his pale skin. Everyone slowly turned around and began whispering things. Sesshomaru didn't notice, he just snatched his things and the bill, into his hands. He opened the folder and saw she had left him a note. When he saw it he understood, though she shouldn't have resorted to such a violent and abashing scene as she had created for him.

He angrily yanked the note from the case and placed it inside the pocket of his frock, and he pulled out the money that was owed for their little luncheon. He paid and left knowing his reputation had been bruised enough. When he had walked a few blocks away from the café, he paused and read the note. For her bloody sake, its contents had best be worth while or else he would…

It read as follows:

_Dear Sesshomaru, _

_Since we know each other so well, right now you're possibly considering a way to kill me for embarrassing you just now. But as I know you, you know I had a good reason. This is my advice to you: find the reason why Jack the Ripper needs the missing organs he has stolen, and you solve the case. _

_P.S. You should keep your eyes open from now on. _

—_Kagura_

Sesshomaru folded the note in half and put it back it his frock. Find the reason why, and the case would be solved? It sounded like a trap to him, but it did in some ways make sense. This was his only lead and whether it was a trap or not, he had to take it. But first, he had to find Inuyasha and demand who else was here amongst them in the City. He didn't have to search at all, his dear brother was right besides him, gaping at the red mark on his face whilst wearing a genuine smile.

"Having trouble with women, Sesshomaru when you should be working? But just by smelling you, I can tell Kagura paid you a little visit. She at least saved me the hassle of finding her. So what did she tell you and what exactly did _you_ tell her that made her slap you so...violently?" Inuyasha prompted. How he came and went without alerting Sesshomaru's senses, the doctor did not know. Sesshomaru glared at Inuyasha nastily before walking down the street. Inuyasha easily was walking besides him.

"She and I talked extensively and just now she told me something that you failed to tell me. But before I say a word to you, tell me who else is here in London. More are here hiding amongst the city and they've hidden themselves well." Sesshomaru said. He should have guessed his past would never leave him be, but it didn't hurt to hope. Inuyasha's eyes were fixed straight ahead and avoided meeting his brother's hard eyes. He seemed to almost hesitate to answer.

"You're going to have to wait Sesshomaru. We, being me, can't tell you anything. I've already told you before: we don't know who it is. What was the clue she gave you?" Inuyasha muttered stiffly. It was as if he feared what he might hear. Sesshomaru lowered his voice and whispered, "She said if we were to find the reason why he needs the organs he steals, we will be able to find him."

"Do you believe her?" Inuyasha asked. They continued to walk together and those who saw had to confess, it was a sight to see. Sesshomaru stopped and looked up at the street signs; they were at Wimpole Street and Weymouth Street. A few more blocks northward and they would be able to see Regent's Park. He took this opportunity to turn and stare at his brother.

He startled him with an apathetical smirk and said in a cool voice, "If I can't believe you, what makes you think I would believe her? Even knowing this, I'm going to presume it is true and begin from there. It has to lead to somewhere."

"Well if that's what you think, then fine we'll start from there." Inuyasha offered and they resumed their little stroll. For the rest of the afternoon, not much was said between them. For appearance sake, they strolled down to Regent's Park and enjoyed the beautiful green carpets of grass and flowers. The sun was out that day, warm and bright as if it were a day in summer. The day may have been warm, but Sesshomaru's bleeding heart was not touched by the ray's of the sun. He and Rin had always enjoyed coming from Soho to Regent's Park after supper and had been in the habit of watching the sun descend. Those days were gone.

Time slowed down for them, and then sped up once Sesshomaru saw it was getting late. He allowed himself one last glance out towards the body of water, and then addressed Inuyasha. Inuyasha was already on his feet and ready to go. The walk home to Soho was just as free from conversation as it had been at the Park. By the time they arrived outside of the estate, the street lamps were lit and the streets were nearly empty.

Sesshomaru opened the door and closed it once they were inside. He set down his Gladstone bag that he had forgotten he had been carrying all this time, besides the stairs and entered the drawing room where Inuyasha was already, but when he entered, the room was freezing cold. It was not because of the weather, but something else entirely. Inuyasha's countenance was unreadable to read, the half-demon almost seemed petrified.

Sesshomaru stood besides him and he soon learned what had caused his brother to stand still. Pinned to the wall right above the inglenook was a letter written in red ink and signed with a name that had been on both their minds since these nightmarish murders began. Inuyasha was glued to his spot in shock—something strange for the half-demon—but something new for Sesshomaru. Neither made a move to reach out for the letter that was taunting them. They waited until they regained their senses and abilities to move. Sesshomaru was the one who first overcame his immobility and stepped forward to retrieve the disturbing document.

He took it into his slender pale hands and read it out loud as follows:

_25 Sept: 1888_

"_Dear Boss_

_I keep hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the __right__ track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal. How can they catch me now. I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper __red__ stuff in the ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use it. Red ink is fit enough I hope __ha. ha.__ The next job I do I shall clip the lady's ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly wouldnt you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work then give it out straight. My knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance. Good luck. _

_Yours truly_

_Jack the Ripper_

_Dont mind me giving the trade name _

_p.s. wasnt good enough to post this before I got all the red ink off my hands curse it. No luck yet. They say I'm a doctor now __ha ha!__" _

When he was done reading, a strange feeling came over both of them. Jack the Ripper had been inside the house and had left them the letter to find. They each exchanged a look before whispering in unison, "He was here and he plans to strike again!" Inuyasha's legs gave out, and he crumpled to the floor. A thick blotch of blood stained his mouth and hands. Whatever had produced this reaction— Sesshomaru surmised it had something to do with the letter. He didn't ask the obvious, instead he went straight to work tending to Inuyasha.

_

* * *

__A/N: A long chapter and an appearance from Kagura. You'll be seeing her around more. As to the letter up above, that is real. It's the very same letter Jack the Ripper sent to The Central News Ltd of 5 New Bridge Street on 27__th__ of September of that year. It's word by word written as the real letter and I don't own it and I am not claiming I do. From here I'm going to be dong things a bit differently. I'm sorry for making them out-of-character again, but please, pretty please bear with me, please! Thanks for reading and please review and tell me what you think so far! _


	6. Chapter VI: Stolen

_Chapter VI: Stolen_

Languidly the grandfather clock in the hallway chimed the hour and informed the inhabitants of the house the past day was gone and that a new day had come to take its place. When the clock stopped chiming, the only thing that remained was the ticking of the pendulum. At long last he was done; it had taken him nearly five hours to mend the wound, which had not been preciously easy when his _patient_ was already dead. Sesshomaru placed the bloody scalpel into a bowl of alcohol to sanitize it, and he sighed.

Spontaneously he wiped his hands with a towel and tossed it aside when it became soiled with fresh blood. It felt strange to be bathed in his brother's blood; in the past it had given him a satisfactory sentiment, but it was different now. He would confess he had sworn many times in the past that he would kill him with his own hands, but this was dissimilar. It was wrong and disgusting. Sesshomaru studied the immobile figure that was his unconscious brother on the couch and stared at the bandages that covered most of his midsection. Locating the wound had been simplistic; extracting the blood that flooded the lower section of his structure and stopping the bleeding had driven him mad.

Also there had been the little incident concerning the leeches. Sesshomaru had found it necessary to perform phlebotomy (bloodletting) on Inuyasha to see how poisonous his blood was. In a matter of seconds he had learnt it was incredibly poisonous that it had killed the little blood suckers in less then two minutes. In reality, the procedure had not been mandatory, but Sesshomaru wanted to perform it mostly out of curiosity. The last time he had performed a bloodletting had been two years ago. Now that he thought about it, he could already imagine Inuyasha's reaction when he found out he had had leeches on his body. The thought brought a rare smile to the doctor's face.

Sesshomaru tiredly sat down in a chair and sighed again. In the last few days he had never been this exhausted before in his entire life. These murders were eating him alive and having no worthy clues—besides the letter that was their newest clue— to follow was driving him insane. Tediously his eyes wandered around the parlor room and landed on the discarded letter that had greeted them both. Sesshomaru reached out and took the letter into his cold thin hands. He made sure not to get any blood on the document since it was the only significant clue they had.

Again he re-read the document thoroughly and wondered out loud, "Why did he leave us this letter? Why not Scotland Yard or one of the newspapers? There has to be a motive behind his decision. But what?" he asked unaware of his surroundings.

"If we knew that, we would've found him by now Sesshomaru." Inuyasha said, fully awake and seated on the couch staring at him. He rubbed the back of his head and observed the white bandages adoring his midsection. Inuyasha looked up at his brother quizzically and commented, "You must have been either desperate or drugged to decide to help me." Sesshomaru frowned and replied, "I did it because it's my profession and because you're useless to me deader then you are now."

Inuyasha snorted and threw the paletote he guessed Sesshomaru had tossed over him whilst he had been unconscious, and stood up. "I'm flattered you wasted time fixing me, but I have to ask, how did you manage stopping the bleeding?" Sesshomaru held the letter in his hands and answered blandly, "The same why I kept Rin alive for all these years, though it was a risk I was hesitant to take. Her case was obviously different from yours, but your human blood made it possible to work on you." He had used the same thing he used on Rin, on him? The thought came with mixture of feelings Inuyasha didn't want to understand.

"Do I have the right to ask what the hell you used on me Sesshomaru or is that classified information?" Inuyasha asked bitterly. The thought that an unknown substance he had no knowledge of was mingling with his blood made him nervous. For all he knew Sesshomaru could have injected something that would kill him slowly. Not that he was going to do anything about it, well it's not like he could do anything even he wanted to.

"You have a right to ask, but I'm not going to tell you until the next time you need to be injected with it. I see no reason why I should worry you with its contents any time soon Inuyasha." Sesshomaru returned calmly. It was reasonable Inuyasha was a bit cautious of the concoctions that were put into his blood. Neither of them said anything for a long time. Inuyasha looked down at the bloody bandages and utensils and was surprised he had not bled to death. Conceivably Sesshomaru had changed…that was his thought before he saw the jar of squirming leeches resting upon the table.

The half-demon's first reaction was a predictable one Sesshomaru had been patiently waiting for. He knew he was going to see them sooner or later and act in this fashion. Dead or alive, Inuyasha was still Inuyasha after all. Inuyasha recoiled from the jar and yelled, "Don't tell me you used those damn things on me, Sesshomaru!" the half-demon was trembling with unrestrained rage. If Sesshomaru said he had, Inuyasha was going to rent his throat out.

"Then I won't tell you I used them on you, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru returned apathetically. Internally Inuyasha's reaction was amusing to see. Inuyasha looked like he was about to lash out when Sesshomaru waved a authoritative hand in the air, as if telling him not to waste their time with his self-indulgent tirades. Taking the jar of leeches from the table and putting them away into a thick mahogany cabinet that was extremely luxurious, Sesshomaru directed his attention to his enraged sibling and commented as if he were making small talk on the weather, "We can forget about the leeches Inuyasha dearest. Their teeth marks will fade and there will be no evidence that they had had their heads inside your flesh and were sucking your blood. Now moving onto more important affairs…"

Inuyasha's eye twitched. He balled his hands into blood tight fists and ground out slowly, "Forget? You want me to _forget_ that I just had a bunch of fucking leeches in _my_ skin sucking _my_ blood! Why you lowlife son of a—" unfortunately for Inuyasha, Sesshomaru never heard the last word. Their quarrel—or more preciously Inuyasha's one-sided quarrel—was interrupted by a knock at the door. For the first time since they had begun exchanging words, neither had looked at the clock to see what time it was. The clock chimed the hour seven in the morning. Sesshomaru quickly folded the letter and placed it back into its envelope, thrust it into Inuyasha's arms and then robustly shoved Inuyasha into the hallway closet. None of the neighbors or anyone for that matter knew of Inuyasha's presence in his household and the less people (or better yet none) knew the better.

Sesshomaru wiped his hands as best he could on a rag before slipping on his discarded waistcoat and jacket and ran to the door. He took a quick moment before opening the door to check in the reflective surface of the grandfather clock door to see if there was any blood on his face. When he saw there was none, he composed himself and opened the door coldly.

Standing in front of him was a young policeman, no doubt a rookie from what Sesshomaru could tell of his uneasy posture. Now what could Scotland Yard what with him now? Looking as aloof and cold as he usually was, Sesshomaru said, "Yes officer? How may I help you?"

"Good morning doctor, I'm dreadfully sorry for disturbing you this early in the morning, but I'm afraid I have some unpleasant news for you, sir." The bobby (policeman) said to him in a grave voice. Indeed what could Scotland Yard have for him that was worst then what he was going through now? Sesshomaru remained indifferent and asked, "What is it?"

The officer lowered his head in a sign of respect before straightening up and said solemnly, "Your daughter's body has been stolen from Highgate Cemetery during the early hours of morning. The caretaker was just finishing his graveyard shift when he discovered her grave unearthed and her body gone. Again Dr. Taishou I'm extremely sorry." Somehow Sesshomaru managed to detain all emotions from his face as he slowly nodded his head in response. When the officer left, Sesshomaru closed the door and allowed the information to wash over him.

Stolen? First she had been murdered and now her grave had been ravished! Sesshomaru leaned against the wall for support. He lowered his gaze and thought darkly just what more could happen. He vaguely heard as the door to the closet slammed open and he heard the not-so-graceful footfalls of his brother confront him. Inuyasha was about to rant out when Sesshomaru said austerely, "Hold your tongue and give me the letter Inuyasha; you and I are going to have to tolerate on another for however long this investigation is going to take before we can properly dispose on one another. Until that time, however, we will put aside our personal sentiments and devote ourselves entirely to this grave matter."

Inuyasha blinked and opened his mouth to speak. Sesshomaru shot him a merciless look, daring him to say something against his order. The half-demon ignored it and said, "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" it was not a wise choice of words Inuyasha uttered, but Sesshomaru bit down the urge to correct him with his fists. There was no use to mess of the house.

"Get ready to leave. You and I have many places to investigate before the sun sets. And even then I don't know how much time we'll have before the next murder. For all we know, it could be tonight." Sesshomaru commanded, expecting his authority to be obeyed by either will or force. Strangely Inuyasha kept his mouth shut and he reluctantly did as his brother said. Both grabbed something to eat before rushing out the door and hailing a hansom and heading to their first stop of the day: Highgate Cemetery.

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Well here's chapter VI. I swear no one can begin to understand just how close I came to making this a cross-over. Can anyone guess with which story? I'll give you a hint: "I am lost without my Boswell." Guessed it yet? If not, it's the great detective himself, Sherlock Holmes. I don't think_—_no I highly doubt_—_there has ever been a cross-over done with Sherlock Holmes and Inuyasha. (Blush) And I don't think there ever will be. Rest assured my dear audience, this story is far from having any other characters that are not from 'Inuyasha' involved. (God I hope so). Anyways I hoped you enjoyed and my sincere gratitude to those who took the time to review. Thank you and good-night. Oh, and would it be too much to ask for a review? _


	7. Chapter VII: Returning

_Chapter VII: Returning _

By the time they arrived at Highgate Cemetery, the skies had turned gray with rancor and unleashed a torrent of rain that was due during the coming months of winter in London. Anyone sensible enough would agree that this was not the best time to be out and about with such weather reeking havoc, though Sesshomaru could care less if the entire world was in peril, he had something to do that could not wait. When the hansom pulled up to the gates of the forty-nine year old cemetery, the driver was astonished that they would disregard the weather and continue on as if it were sunny. Sesshomaru paid the man and he was off.

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha stood outside the gates and stared as far as they could into the darkness. A disturbing chill crossed through Inuyasha's mind, which he hoped Sesshomaru had not noticed. His brother did and he brought it to his attention with a soft chuckle and remarked mockingly, "Does it frighten you to be here, Inuyasha? Or would you rather wait right here and risk being returned to a grave?" Inuyasha fumed over this insult and barked, "Just shut the hell up and open the damn gate already! I'm getting wet."

Another dry chuckle escaped the eldest lips, and together they proceeded into the empty cemetery to see if what the policeman from the morning had said was true. The soil was loose and made it a hazard to slip and fall. Twice Inuyasha had nearly lost his balance from lack of attention, but luckily had been spared from embarrassment the first time by the assistance of a tree. The second time Sesshomaru had reluctantly caught him in the nick of time from bathing in a pool of mud and maggots.

All around them death and sorrow seemed to grow stronger in the rain. Trees that appeared harmless during the hours when the sun dominated took on a malevolent characteristic in the rain. Nothing, not even a sewer rat, was seen as they made their way down the path that led through the cemetery. Mindless of what he was doing, Inuyasha was brushing shoulders with his brother, something that irked the latter. Sesshomaru shoved him away and was about to tell him to keep his distance when Inuyasha pointed to the grave that they had come to see.

Her grave was at the end of the path, just to the right where it was muddiest and where a willow tree gloomily hung over her grave, casting eerie shadows caused by the thunder that began to scream. There had not been much time for Sesshomaru to acquire for her a decent burial site; this was the best he could do on such a short notice and he was greatly ashamed with himself because of it. Sesshomaru looked at her grave; everything seemed in place—at least the exterior did. Where was the disheveled soil? Where were the signs that her grave had been violated? Was her body still where it was meant to be for ever? Should he dare?

Sesshomaru looked up to suggest to Inuyasha that perhaps there had been an error committed, but he found Inuyasha had discarded his frock-coat and was digging up soil from the grave. Sesshomaru was shocked. What had possessed Inuyasha to do such a thing without his concern? Sensing his anger and disorientation, Inuyasha glanced up at him and said as if he had read his mind, "Don't let the exterior fool you, Sesshomaru. What counts in this situation is what's dug underneath the earth and supposedly resting in that coffin."

Once he regained his ability of speech, Sesshomaru hissed, "Inuyasha, how dare you defy her grave in such a manner!" bitter that Inuyasha would start digging up soil without thinking what he was doing. "And what then, if you are wrong in your absurd assumptions?" Inuyasha did not look up this time; instead he continued to haul up soil and worms and replied casually, "If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong, but we won't know until we see for our own eyes." he paused and hauled out another shovel full of mud and remarked, "Now if you're not going to get a shovel and get dirty, then get the fuck out of my way and let me work. At least one of us ain't afraid of a little rain and mud."

Knowing Inuyasha was partly right, Sesshomaru kept silent; something rare when it came to offense to his pride. He had never been in the habit of performing such things as handling a plow or shovel, which was what servants were for. Even to this day, Sesshomaru was not acquainted with such manual labours. But that small disability was recompensed with the blood that soiled his hands when he performed operations and blood-transfusions and other necessities regarding his profession. The desire to prove his brother wrong was strong in his breast. He would not allow such insults. Though he did in the end.

Inuyasha kept digging up mud until he was well into the grave, already four feet into the ground, which reached his shoulder. With a few more tosses of dirt over the edge of the hole— barely missed hitting Sesshomaru—Inuyasha hit the surface of the coffin. A smug smirk appeared on his face and he threw the shovel out of the hole, again missing the chance to decapitate his brother. A deep snarl warned him if he tossed anything else out of the grave, soon Inuyasha would find himself being tossed like yesterday's trash. Quickly as he could, for the suspense of the moment was getting to them both, Inuyasha pried open the coffin and was faced with what he knew they would find: nothing.

The half-demon blinked a few times and stared hard into the grave, which was beginning to floor with water. To make sure there was not something wrong with his eyes, he felt the inside of the empty coffin like a blind man does to find his way, and nothing. He slowly gazed up and said, "She's not here, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha muttered softly. "The coffin's empty." Inuyasha lowered his head, and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. He kept his eyes fixed on the vacant sarcophagus, not daring to see what expression his brother wore.

Sesshomaru leapt into the grave and stood besides Inuyasha with a loud splash that the heels of his black boots created under the impact of his jump, and examined the coffin for his own eyes. Indeed, nothing was there, not even the faintest scent of decayed flesh or a single strand of her silk chestnut hair. The situation came crumpling down on him; he lowered himself down and brushed his fingertips over the fine material that was the interior of the coffin. Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably away from his brother, always aware of the possibility that he would snap and act violently like a madman. And because it felt odd whenever Sesshomaru was so close to him. Their skin touching...it made the half-demon jumpy.

On a vague sweep of the eye, nothing remarkable could be seen, but on closer inspection Sesshomaru found something that made his eyes briefly expansive. He composed himself and quickly picked up what he'd found without allowing Inuyasha to see what it was. Before Inuyasha could ask what it was, Sesshomaru wrapped it into his handkerchief and tucked it into his breast pocket, deciding later on to examine it more closely when they returned home, though he never would have a chance to. Standing and brushing the droplets of water and mud from his clothes as best he could, Sesshomaru dead-panned, "We have to see if the bodies of the other victims still remain in their graves. If we discover they are not where they are supposed to be, then it will confirm my intuition."

Sesshomaru jumped out of the grave, and stormed away from Rin's defied resting place. No longer did anyone hold any damn respect for the deceased. Death either brought by murder or of natural causes, corpses of all ages—mainly the young— and sex, continued to be disturbed and stolen. Sesshomaru tossed aside the thought indignantly, deliberate that he as well contributed to grave robbing for the sake of science, some thing up until now he had not resented.

Inuyasha recuperated from his bemusement, and crawled out of the grave like a disoriented fool, and ran after Sesshomaru's rapidly disappearing form. When he reached him, he spun him around, catching Sesshomaru off guard and growled, "What? Have you gone even more insane then you are now? Do you know how long it will take us to track them down in this damned weather? We'll find nothing of use, and the only thing we'll catch is our deaths." Inuyasha did not mean the last part to be ironic; it was a slip of the tongue.

Sesshomaru shrugged him off and continued to walk towards the gates and threw them open, releasing some of his anger, although not enough to calm him. He glanced over his shoulder and commented callously, "I don't care if it takes all day, Inuyasha _dearest_. You've already died _twice _and I still have some life left to spare. There are three more graves to inspect. Until then," Sesshomaru smiled dryly and assured, "Tolerate the weather and I promise you we'll find _him_ sooner then you could ever image. I promise you."

A disturbing chill spread throughout Inuyasha's cold body like fire devouring an entire village. Inuyasha stood rigid right where he was, shaking a little bit. His pride did not allow for any signs that Sesshomaru's words had had any affect on him. The way he smirked was enough to make the blood run cold, colder then it was in Inuyasha's case. Sesshomaru kept on walking; it was obvious to him that Inuyasha had no other choice but to follow like a stray dog. And he was right. Inuyasha went after him and their work had only just begun for them.

———————————

Locating the victims' graves took an hour to locate. And each time they (meaning Inuyasha) dug up the soil and reached the coffin, the results were the same as the previous incident. Empty, just like Sesshomaru's dull golden eyes. Whether it was remorse or mere melancholy, Inuyasha did not know what was causing Sesshomaru to act more detached from the world then he normally was. If anyone should be excused to act in such a fashion, it was Inuyasha since his life was artificial and no longer held any strong meaning besides this little case, to be kept functioning. And even then that was still not enough to make Inuyasha bitter, though the deceased half-demon could fathom why Sesshomaru was astringent. He had lost Rin, which gave him a strong right to be chagrin and dejected.

Inuyasha sighed and slammed the lid of the third victim's coffin with more forced then required, and climbed out of the hole. He was about to wipe off his soiled hands on his pants when Sesshomaru tossed him a handkerchief and said, "Have a little more class Inuyasha. You can't go walking around this city covered in mud." Inuyasha caught the fine handkerchief and cleaned his hands and stuffed it in to his duster's pocket. He fixed his clothes and reproached, "Will you _ever_ shut up Sesshomaru about my appearance? I thought you said you didn't care? Its not like anyone's going to notice if there's a little bit of mud on my clothes. If you haven't forgotten, the streets are empty and no one's going to notice what they can't see in the first place."

"I don't, but either way Inuyasha that is still no excuse to going traversing around covered in filth." Sesshomaru countered, suddenly straightening up from the tombstone he had been leaning against more out of boredom then from exhaustion. Inuyasha pulled down his shirt and fixed his dirty waistcoat, tidying himself more out of habit then concerned with his appearance. Now that they had investigated each of the victim's graves, what more was left for them to do?

Inuyasha wiped the mud from his cheek and growled hostilely, "I don't give a bloody fuck what anyone thinks! Now make a damn decision and tell me where we go from here. The graves are obviously empty; we ain't going to find shit in them even if _I_ dig deeper." Sesshomaru didn't even seem to hear his brother's rant; he merely stared straight ahead with a blank look. Inuyasha sighed sharply and shook his brother violently from his trace and snapped, "Pay attention you daft bastard! What now, think damn it! Think and figure something out before I slit your scrawny throat!" the older gentleman blinked and seemed to response more to Inuyasha's puerile threat then anything else. He smirked and said darkly, "Inuyasha release me before I fulfill my own threat on _your_ neck." Reluctantly, Inuyasha released his collar, but punched him across the face to keep him alert and to throw a little steam.

Sesshomaru rubbed his throbbing cheek and mechanically soothed it. He didn't really feeling the pain as much as Inuyasha had hoped he would. The rain fell down harder and felt like sharp blades cutting deep into their flesh, drenching them to the bone and making their clothes cling to their pale cold skin. Sesshomaru lowered his hand from his cheek and turned away from Inuyasha and slowly departed like a ghost. He said absolutely nothing. He just kept his gaze forward and his eyes dull and impassive. So moody he really was it annoyed Inuyasha. One moment he was vivid and vigorous, the next he was gloomy and brooding. There was no understanding the bastard in Inuyasha's opinion. Together they left the cemetery in a piercing silence and stepped out of the dreadful place and on to the side-walk, and made their way with no destination intended.

Each brother lost in his own dark thoughts. One cursing the other for his lack of communication and muteness, whilst the other thought about the case and the missing bodies and the item he found in his daughter's coffin. Together, had they been sharing theories, maybe things would not have been as they were for them. For some time their feet carried them down the slippery cobblestones; nothing truly baring a clear shape, everything was mere blurriness. The rain came down heavier, creating a curtain that limited their vision. Inuyasha tilted his head towards the crying sky and secretly found the droplets of water caressing his face enjoyable. An exhausted sigh escaped his thin lips and he muttered, "I don't know what I hate more, you or the fact that we're left standing in the dark." He was not expecting a response, so when Sesshomaru spoke it surprised him.

"I think the murders were not as random as he wants us to believe. Each victim had something he wanted, something that was more easily attainable through street women, who would go unnoticed and possibly have no family to miss them. If you look over it, it makes some sense, but what did each victim have? Organs are missing, body parts have been severed, skin and eyes have been removed…but for what?" Sesshomaru grumbled pensively under his breath. He talked more to himself then to Inuyasha. The dead half-demon stared intensely at his sibling and was about to warn him about the streetlamp in his path, but said nothing thinking a good knock to his head would make him see sense. And if that was not achieved, it would just be funny to see.

Mush to his displeasure Sesshomaru walked passed the streetlamp and abruptly came to a halt, looking up and noticing for the first in hours he had been wandering the streets aimlessly. His eyes came into focus and read one of the signs above them. A weak smile came to his dripping wet face and he said to Inuyasha with a gloomy look, "Are you hungry Inuyasha?" the question struck Inuyasha like a bolt of lightening, he stared gingerly at him and mimicked dumbly, "Am I hungry? Why do you ask?" Inuyasha's suspicion grew more alert and he watched for any signs that his brother was teasing him. The weak smile on Sesshomaru's lips stayed and he repeated curtly, "Yes, are you hungry? You're pale and you look like you might faint from exhaustion. Let's step into this restaurant," he gestured with his hand, "and eat something. That way we can rest and concoct a plan."

Inuyasha slowly nodded his head in response and walked passed his brother into the restaurant he indicated and stepped out of the down pour. They stood inside an elegant French restaurant; the interior simplistic yet chic with the walls painted a pleasant red that was merciful to the eyes. The small restaurant had a nice and calming atmosphere to it that allowed tangled nerves to be smoothed out. A waitress appeared before them holding two menus and led them to a table where there was hardly anyone else at Sesshomaru's request. He wanted them to be alone and not have to worry anyone would hear their conversation—if they had any he thought casually.

Inuyasha ordered salmon cooked mild-raw and a bottle of red-wine to accompany the salmon, whilst Sesshomaru requested a cup of coffee and asked for _The Morning Chronicle_§ and that was it. Inuyasha found Sesshomaru's lack of appetite odd, but however odd it was, he did not think it was something worth asking. So he just ignored it. Before their meals came, both washed their hands and cleaned their faces and clothes as best they could. The smell of death was strong on Inuyasha like rotting flesh, compelling Sesshomaru to bathe Inuyasha with a bottle of eau du cologne he found besides the sink. Inuyasha was not pleased at all that he smelt like a pampered puddle.

When the waitress brought their orders, for a time they ate without exchanging a single word or glance. Their eyes were averted from each other; all ways looking somewhere else. Inuyasha picked at his food with his knife and fork, hunger not being the strongest thing on his mind, but knew he had to eat something. Even being the dead cadaver that he was, he required some sort of nourishment to enable the body to function. But how he was able to eat anything after digging up graves and rummaging coffins was beyond anyone.

He lifted his fork that skewered the salmon he had asked for to his lips and chewed it. It tasted like rubber and he found it hard to chew, making his strong teeth hurt. What the hell was this crap? Hadn't he asked for a medium-raw salmon? He took another bite before his stomach threatened to vomit another piece of his so-called meal. With a sigh, Inuyasha turned his attention to the glass of red wine in his reach and sipped it. He stared into it intently, his eyes seeing nothing but the beautiful red. A small smile crept to his lips; the colour red had always had some influence over him. He ignored the fact that the colour red had a bad tendency to be related with death, but besides it gruesome connection to murder, red was actually a beautiful and bountiful colour. He yearned for more then just a sip of an imitation of red; he wanted blood to quench his queer thirst for it.

Inuyasha nearly dropped the glass of wine in his hands when he realized what he was thinking. Sesshomaru seemed to jerk out of his unapproachable thoughts when he hear the latter gasp and caught the glass right before it shattered to the floor and prior to anyone could see him catch it. He placed it on the edge of the table and said sternly, "I see you are more uptight then I imaged. What were you thinking?" Sesshomaru asked out of curiosity then concern. Inuyasha slouched against his seat and muttered whilst casting his eyes up to the ceiling, "It's nothing, nothing at all." And added as an afterthought _'Or so I hope.'_ Sesshomaru did not buy it, he bent forward and accused, "You're lying. You were thinking something rather bloody. What was it?"

The younger of the two shook his head, denying what he had thought more then refusing to answer. He closed his eyes and whispered incoherently, "Blood…I was thinking how beautiful blood is, or at least its colour and...the desire to drink it." The words were no more then a hush whisper so no one would hear them. Sesshomaru surprisingly nodded his head in agreement, as if his thoughts were the same. Again Inuyasha resumed to picking his food and staying as far from the bottle of wine that looked so much like blood, as he could and Sesshomaru returned his attention to _The Morning Chronicle_, which was folded neatly in front of him.

He honestly hadn't expected to find anything worth reading in the paper, but one small headline in particular practically made him jump from his seat; something that would have surely drawn them unanticipated attention. He fought back the urge to make a scene and read it thoroughly, hoping his eyes deceived him. They did not. He had read correctly the first time.

The article was small, but to the point. It said that last night around two in the morning, two bodies had been discovered in an empty warehouse building by a sailor, who had been returning from the docks to his home. The article vaguely stated that the Yard was doing its best to solve things and even gave such bold assurance that the two bodies could be possible victims from Jack the Ripper. Sesshomaru tossed the paper across the table to Inuyasha and said whilst pointing to the small article, "Read it."

Taking it in to his hands, Inuyasha read the article at first brusquely, but soon his face showed a mixture of sheer horror and wonder. He dropped the paper on the table and hissed acidic, "What the fuck? It can't be Jack the Ripper. It's probably just some stupid idiot trying to imitate him." he reasoned, trying to believe it himself. The editorial said nothing as to how the victims were slain, but Sesshomaru had a pretty good guess. A grunt emerged from Inuyasha's throat and he sighed. "What now?"

Sesshomaru kept silent and called the waitress for the bill so they could leave. When she came, the young girl noticed how pale Inuyasha looked and asked if he was alright. Sesshomaru curtly answered that his brother was coming down with fever. She nodded and handed him the bill which Sesshomaru paid and they left as fast as they could. The rain continued to plummet down on their heads as they stepped out of the comfort of the restaurant and back into the street.

Like before, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru wandered down the streets together. Much to their displeasure, their shoulders came into frequent contact making them rather timid and agitated. Sesshomaru picked up his pace and walked a few feet in front of Inuyasha, enough to give them personal space. Neither said anything against this. All afternoon and continuing well in to the evening, the rain never stopped pouring down their heads and soaking their clothes nor made any intentions to stop. And thus that was how they spent their day; merely walking listlessly until they returned to a place where the thought of returning had ever crossed their minds. Two pair of golden eyes stared straight into the filthy streets that made up the East End, better known to the public as where the first victims of Jack the Ripper were found with their throats slit and organs missing.

Sesshomaru took a step forward, his eyes clouded with a stern look that resembled his posture and he said sharply, "We've returned to where the first crimes took place. Nothing ever changes." Inuyasha felt something was not right. It was too much of a coincidence that their alleged wandering had led them to the East End and more preciously to Whitechapel of all places. Why return here and not some other place in London? Something deep within him told him this was the moment where they would learn Jack the Ripper's true identity and put a stop to the murders that had gone on long enough.

Sesshomaru smirked coldly; determined to unmask what had had no face that anyone but his victims had bared witness to. What he looked like was not known, but that was about to change. And what they would find might lead them to discoveries they had never considered might be revealed or connected to them by blood. Inuyasha pushed his ominous thoughts to the back of his mind, ignoring the warnings. Blood lay just ahead; pools and pools of the red concoction and a discovery worth death itself, but what they didn't know, wouldn't harm them right? At least not yet.

———————————

§: I have no idea if _The Morning Chronicle_ was a real newspaper during 1888; I just got the name of the newspaper from the case of _The Red-head League _from one of the cases of Sherlock Holmes since I couldn't find any newspaper to mention.

_S/T: At long last I've finally moved the story along, making some progress at least. I'm sorry there were some occ moments, but my excitement got the best of me and it made me write some strange scenes and some crappy dialogue and moments between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, like the restaurant scene fro example. From this moment on, the story will be getting bloodier and hopefully more entertaining. But really, whatever happens all depends of the audience opinion, so please review! _


	8. Chapter VIII: The Discovery

_Chapter VIII: The Discovery_

The streets reeked of piss and the stench of human excrement, putrid smells that made Inuyasha's nose wrinkle and stomach twist in disgust. To his awe, Sesshomaru didn't seem fazed. Inuyasha guessed as much; Sesshomaru was a doctor as had to deal with these sorts of smells no matter how much it made the mind dizzy. The sound that their boots produced echoed off the deserted streets and bounced back to them, as loud and clear as cymbals. The night was crisp and cold; the temperature had to be somewhere close to forty-two degrees, and still the rain kept falling, only lighter then the afternoon. An ominous sign Inuyasha thought as they traversed down Commercial Road, with their coats wrapped tight around their bodies to keep the warmth from escaping.

Everything was too calm, just like how the sea was before the storm struck, and destroyed and killed. Chaos was always ensured as was now. Inuyasha tucked his chin to his breast, all the while keeping an attentive eye on his surroundings and brother. Not only was there something eccentric about how cold the night was, but something uncanny radiated off of Sesshomaru like a burning light. Up until now, Inuyasha had kept his opinion of the case to himself. He saw no reason to say anything while Sesshomaru kept at bay.

Both were reserved when it concerned their own personal theories. Inuyasha stopped, glancing up to read the street sign and found they were south of Berner Street. Whatever Sesshomaru was feeling or thinking, his face was blank as a white canvas. Not even a muscle twitched on his face; he absolutely showed no signs of discomfort or agitation. Although Inuyasha had a good mind to think he was. Sesshomaru came to a halt, his brow furrowed in a pensive way. His golden eyes darted both ways of the street, as if looking for something hidden within the shadows.

"What is it? Do you sense something?" Inuyasha pressed, hoping he had. Wandering about this side of the city, and so close to where the murders had taken place, was taxing his nerve. Sesshomaru grunted something incoherently as a response, and merely pondered whether going down Berner Street would be worth their time or head down to Whitechapel instead. Inuyasha asked again, louder this time in case he hadn't heard the first time.

Sesshomaru hushed him and enlightened, "I heard you the first time, Inuyasha. And do keep your voice down. We wouldn't want to attract unneeded attention at this time at night, especially now that we are on _his_ playground, so to speak. Tell me, do you smell anything putrid in the air, besides human waste?" his question caused Inuyasha some alarm. The half-demon delicately sniffed the air and smelt the faint breeze of something that made his expression turn grim. A weak smile quirked the corner of Sesshomaru's lips upwards. So he as well smelt it.

Inuyasha covered his nose and asked gruffly, "Weren't the two bodies found somewhere close to here, Sesshomaru? Do you think it's a warning?" Sesshomaru took his time to answer, not even this situation would make him rush. Everything had to be thought out clearly if they were going to get anywhere, was his opinion.

"The letter that we found and the two bodies that were discovered were obviously a warning, as you yourself pointed out just now. For whom these warnings are directed to, we can only assume they're for the police, but, seeing as we hold possession to, perhaps one of the most vital pieces of this investigation being the letter, and if _Jacky_ knows we've read it, then we can arrive to the conclusion that this last clue was meant for us to follow." Inuyasha gawked stupidly at his sibling for what seemed like minutes, but turned out to be mere seconds. Just when had he learned to sound so…wise? Well more then he was at times.

Not another word passed betwixt them when a blood-curdling scream sounded down Berner Street, just south of Commercial Road, the same road they were on. Before their minds came to a sensible conclusion as what to do, their bodies moved on their own accord and led them down Berner Street at full speed, their long locks free to lash out in the cold air and black coats blew like wings behind them. The scent of blood collided with their noses even before they saw the body.

In unison they stopped not ten feet from where the dead body of the recently woman, whose blood and ripped out organs stained the ground, and there he was in all his macabre glory. His face was hidden behind the high collar of his coat, denying them a good look at his features. His back was to them, but they could tell he sensed them. This became apparent when Jack the Ripper himself turned around and smiled malevolently towards them, acknowledging their late arrival. His entire face was splattered with the victim's warm blood, and was even on his surprisingly white teeth.

Inuyasha gasped, finding it hard to believe they were actually face to face with Jack the Ripper himself. He had known this night would bring his identity, but this soon? Again the sensation that something was terribly amiss came flooding back to his hectic mind. Why now and why here? Inuyasha looked to his right to see what Sesshomaru's reaction was, but soon found his older brother running after the madman who had killed Rin. Jack the Ripper was already game; he and Sesshomaru disappeared round Fairclough Street without even a glance back.

Inuyasha was left alone with the dead body of a woman who looked to be five-forty. She had curly dark brown hair and she use to bare a pale complexion, something that would stay permanent until she began to decompose and the only thing left of her were bones. The only wound the woman had sadly received was the notorious slitting of the throat. Inuyasha surmised that their sudden arrive had prevented Jacky from conducting the mutilations, a pity for Jacky boy, but still unfortunate for his victim. Inuyasha studied the woman's body closely and came across something fairly interesting. It was a solid silver cufflink, the left one from what he could judge, and it gleamed bloodily under the beams of the moon. Jacky must have dropped it in his haste to flee from the scene of the crime and from Sesshomaru's apparent wrath.

He pulled out the handkerchief Sesshomaru had given to him to clean his hands that morning, and cleaned the cufflink with it. When most of the blood was wiped away, he noticed there were initials engraved in its centre. He brought the silver piece close to his eyes and read them carefully. Inuyasha frowned; he traced the letters with a now bloody finger and muttered, "Shit, there can be thousands of people with these damned initials!" he climbed to his feet, and tucked his findings into his waistcoat pocket and proceeded to run after his brother, but first he had to do something about the woman's body. Dead or alive, prostitute or not, she was still deemed a lady and that meant she should be treated with respect and dignity.

He paused, thinking quick on his feet. There wasn't a moment to spare. Sesshomaru could be in danger or possibly facing death from the edge of a blade. The best Inuyasha could do to offer this woman was a more appropriate position with her hands laced upon her chest and her light gray eyes closed, to give her a more peaceful appearance, despite her horrible end. This time no one stopped him from wiping the blood covering his hands on his slacks and shirt before dashing off like a bloodhound to find and assist his brother in capturing Jacky Boy.

Behind him he could hear someone had already found the body. He sighed in relief at his timely escape. Any later, and he would have been accused of a crime he had merely witnessed and not committed. His running died down into a hesitant pace; he had lost them completely. Sesshomaru's scent was well hidden by both the putrid smell and the polluted air. He headed down a street to his left and kept on running like mad, as if the devil himself were at his heels. Twice he stumbled in his haste, and each time he picked himself up and ran.

Now more then ever, he wished he had some sort of weapon with him. Anything really; his claws were now merely useless nails. His demonic traits had been stripped away with his death, leaving him as blunt as a butcher's knife after so much abusive use. As luck would have it anyway, he came across just that. There it laid gleaming menacingly on top of a cart blunt, yet still encasing some fear within its dull blade. Inuyasha picked it up and weighed the butcher's knife in his thin hands. He slashed it through the air and smiled. It was a bit lacking, but it would cause serious danger if applied right, and he knew right were to deal the blow.

He tucked it into the band of his slacks and resumed his search through the empty streets until he came down Church Passage, and encountered a familiar scent that made him then and there vomit the little food he had ate during the afternoon. Inuyasha wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and prowled forward slyly. There was no denying what it was. He approached the disfigured corpse and quickly gave it a good look over. This time, it seemed, Jacky had gotten what he wanted from this victim to make up what he had lost in the other. The woman's dress was rented and her abdominal was split open from the neck all the way down to her navel. Blood soaked her collar and face. Some of the most essential organs (though most are) were removed and some were completely destroyed. Inuyasha's eyes trailed towards her face and he bit back the urge to vomit again. Her expression was one of sheer horror and agony, as if her death had been the most barbarous of all before her. Her features were so contorted in pain that he was taken aback. He was a monster, a blood thirsty monster that killed for the lust of the hunt and feel of blood coating his hands and face. Nothing, absolutely nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next.

He approached stealthily on silent feet from behind him. He raised the object he cradled in his hands over his head and brought it down as hard as he could without purposefully killing the half-demon and Inuyasha went down without even a fight. The only sound that managed to escape his lips was a gust of breath and a mummer of surprise.

——————————————

The next time Inuyasha opened his eyes, he was met with the stench of decomposing flesh and the eyes of the devil himself. Though he had to admit, he had never thought the devil to possess such majestic yet cynical eyes as the ones he stared into now. Only one word escaped from his battered lips before either could act: Sesshomaru. It had been Sesshomaru all this time and he hadn't known it. Sesshomaru smiled wickedly and whispered, "You're awake at last. Good."

——————————————

_S/T: I really do wonder how many of you knew it was Sesshomaru. My apologies if it was obvious. Please forgive me. A special thank you to those who have read and reviewed this story. I can only hope this chapter was not a disappointment. I hope you enjoyed; please review and tell me what you think! _


	9. Chapter IX: Catharsis

_I'm sorry in advance if this chapter seems crappy. It's 2:37 a.m. where I am and I know I committed some grammar mistakes. Please tell me if you find any, and I'll be sure to fix them! Thank you my dears!_

————————————

_Chapter IX: Catharsis_

What humans believe impossible can some times turn out to be probable, but most of the time it's merely probable. Like now, everything felt like a nightmare that refused to pop after the eyes flutter open and reveal a world of darkness and pain. Inuyasha stood transfixed where he was, immobile from shock and bewilderment. After all this time, they had been looking for someone who had never been out of their reach. And there he was standing right in front of him; clad in a long coat and an evening-frock and at his neck, a red silk scarf that made it nearly impossible to tell if it was blood or not. Half of his face was dripping with blood, enhancing the malevolent twinkle in his blood piercing red eyes.

Red ruby coated his hands and the front of his dress shirt, and the knife he held in his hands gleamed underneath the thick coat of innocent blood. How could he have not known? All the clues they had found pointed directly to him! What had blinded him from seeing through his deceiving façade? Inuyasha stood up and narrowed his eyes. His hands were at his side, ready to draw the butcher's knife without the other seeing.

Inuyasha took a cautious step back, trying to get as much space away from him. The latter stepped forward, as if it they were waltzing. Inuyasha slid his hand underneath his frock and grasped the hilt of the butcher's knife. Tears of rage and misery threatened to stream down his cheeks. He held them at bay and growled in a shaky tone, "After all this time it was you who was Jack the Ripper. It was you who killed Rin and slaughtered all those women like cattle! It was you who bathe in their innocent blood, and decided to play God and deem who had a right to live and die!" Sesshomaru frowned, and cocked his head ever so slightly to the side. He studied him for a moment, and then smirked insanely.

Sesshomaru wiped the crimson blood staining his blade on the side of his slacks and said evenly, "You seem surprised, Inuyasha. Why?" that was enough to make Inuyasha snap and give into his desire to spill his brother's vile blood and watch him bleed to death and squirm like a damn maggot. He drew out the butcher's knife at his waist and launched forward, and hatched the blunt blade into his startled brother's shoulder. The blade cut deeply into Sesshomaru's flesh and met his collar bone. A twisted cry of pain and shock came from Sesshomaru. He shoved Inuyasha off, and yanked out the butcher's knife from his sanguine shoulder without much effort.

The knife in his bloody hands dropped to the filthy floor and he pressed his hand to the profusely bleeding gash, more out of habit then from pain. He glanced up at his brother and said startling casual as if he hadn't been stabbed, "What an appropriate weapon to use to hatch you into little pieces. You're quite skilled with your hands, Inuyasha. Pity they won't be put to better use once you're dead." Sesshomaru grabbed Inuyasha by the neck and tossed him violently across the room. Inuyasha hit his head against the wall and groaned in pain.

Sesshomaru strolled over to him and nudged him with the tip of his black boot into his ribs and kicked him so hard that there was a crunching sound. It was music to Sesshomaru's ears when he heard the bones snap like twigs and the small cry Inuyasha emitted. Inuyasha clenched his teeth and cursed his brother to hell, a word that was more out of habit, then damnation. He looked up and saw Sesshomaru was waiting for him to put up a fight to make things more interesting for him. The half-demon balled his hands into fights and he climbed up to his unstable feet like a drunk.

Blood streamed down his mouth and the side of his face freely. Inuyasha held his aching side and snarled through his teeth, "You bloody son of a bitch! How in the fuck is it possible that you just killed that woman! You were standing right next to me, and the last one who you killed at Mitre Square. How could you get to one place to the other so fast?" he demanded to know. So many questions buzzed in his head, so many he wasn't sure if he would ever get to ask. Sesshomaru flexed his wrist, testing the blade in his hands.

"Simple, the first one to succumb to my blade was not actually killed by me, but by someone who owed me a personal favor. I think you might now them; after all he was ever close to the taijiya. You can say they're linked by blood." Sesshomaru implied. Even under the blood on his pale face, Sesshomaru still made a dashing sight. Strands of his silver locks were now dyed scarlet red, and gave him character. Inuyasha made an 'o' sound with his mouth and numbly understood. He recalled a conversation they had shared concerning who else from their past resided in London. Sesshomaru seemed to read his brother's comprehended look and continued. "After you gave me a hint that there were others amongst us, I began to investigate who they were. The information I came across was actually quite astonishing. As it turned out, Kohaku and Rin had planned to elope and flee across the Atlantic and settle in New York. But really, even I can't fathom how he or you for that matter were brought back to life."

Inuyasha's jaw dropped, his nails bit into his side and exclaimed, "You mean to tell me she and Kohaku…and that Kohaku was the father…" a smile graced Inuyasha's lips and it was his turn to laugh hollowly. He wiped the blood blurring his eyes and said, "You barely figured it out, did you Sesshomaru? Hah, I'm afraid I knew that already. I met up with Kohaku down by the wharf a few weeks ago and he explained the whole situation. Turns out the lad fell in love with Rin years ago when they were still children, and swore an oath to each other, that if by any circumstances they were torn apart, no earthly obstacle, not even the liberation of death, though in their case, it would not have be so liberating, would stop them from reuniting. She loved him, and you were aware of her love. I'm guessing you were, say jealous. Tell me, did you love her like a daughter, or did your affection reflect your passionate desire for her?"

For now, Inuyasha would rely on his tongue to save him. Sesshomaru's face darkened and confessed, "Yes, everyone else knew besides me. I didn't want her to leave. I was selfish; she was the only thing I had left. I did everything to reclaim her affects just so she could remain by my side and give me strength that I so desperately needed from her. Had she not stayed, I surely would have gone mad. So in the end I had to do the only thing that was in my power. I killed her, slowly at first by weakening her heart, and then I put her out of her misery with the use of my knife." A flash of pain showed on Sesshomaru's face, but it was soon gone and that vile glint in his now blood-shot eyes appeared. Inuyasha stumbled back, realizing he was dealing with a deranged sibling who changed from one personality to another…

That was it! Realization dawned in Inuyasha's mind. He knew what was wrong with Sesshomaru, it now made perfect sense. He had seen this somewhere before, but where? It was the same circumstances, only there was a good and bad side. It was a play, but the name of it eluded him. Sesshomaru came at him with the knife in his hands and he made for his throat. Inuyasha side-stepped his assault and made haste to flee from the blade now aiming for his back. He did not take another step forward, when his throat was seized and cold steel began to slice his soft skin.

Blood came pouring out of his mouth and his vision was beginning to blur. Inuyasha twisted and fought to escape, but the more he squirmed, the deeper the knife bit into his flesh. It was the end for him, he was now sure of it, but there were so many things he needed answers to, and he refused to die again without knowing them. Inuyasha elbowed Sesshomaru as hard as he could in the stomach and took his chance to get the upper hand he needed. He pressed Sesshomaru to the wall behind them and pinned him to the wall with his own knife like a frog during dissection. Inuyasha's animated eyes landed on the discarded butcher's knife and he quickly picked it up with his foot, and had it lingering over his brother's throat.

The tables had turned and Sesshomaru grew stiff, yet found his dilemma cynically amusing. Inuyasha impaled the knife in Sesshomaru's stomach deeper, twisting it every time he saw Sesshomaru tried to get away and ejaculated, "Just what the fuck have you become, Sesshomaru? This isn't you, I know it isn't. You've become a monster. A hideous monster, who bathes in the blood of his victims and gloats with each killing. What caused you to turn in to this? Tell me, I need to know damn it! If to-night I'm destined to die, then so be it, but I'm not closing my eyes for all eternity without knowing what could possibly turn a once civilized man, who praised himself over his self-control and sanity, and now had transformed into a murdering madman. Now speak or I'll hack off a part of your body until you utter the things I want to hear!" Inuyasha made ready the knife in his hands to execute his threat.

Sesshomaru averted his eyes, exposing his slender neck to the gleaming blade, and muttered impassively, "I'm not insane, Inuyasha. At least, I don't think_ I_ am. There are many insincere reasons I could blame for my turn against humanity, and mainly women, but they would not arrive to the foundation of my butchery. My art. My perfection. No, you see the reason why I targeted prostitutes in particular from the general populace was a simple one. Humans are cruel little disgusting vermin's of this accursed world, they corrupt those around them without showing mercy. Just a touch and they taint. I have all ways bared a strong loathe for women who dedicate their lives to selling their bodies, more so when I learned of things that will never bare any importance to you, Inuyasha.

It's just plainly disgusting to see them wander the streets, and sell themselves for nothing. These women aid in spreading disease to the world, and still that is not enough to make them stop. But it was not just that which made me target them. It was the fact that most of these women would not go missed or cried for. Many had no families and to be frank, they made excellent tools to practice new medical techniques. So they had purposes and I saw that I would be doing the world and them a favour disposing of them." he paused, looking into the darkness as if there was something hidden within the shadows only he could see. Inuyasha could feel the air getting colder, as if the ghost of his victims where standing there and accusing him silently of the crimes he committed.

"I didn't think much of it, but my lust for blood grew too bold for even me to seduce. Soon after committing the first murder, I learned that Rin was with child. When you discovered this for yourself and asked me if I knew, I denied it out of shame and because I didn't want it to be true. At the time I had no idea who the father was, so that added to my anxiety. Days before you made your unforeseen appearance, I was having trouble controlling the craving of blood. And of course when _you _should up, it made me think the most stupid things. I thought you had been brought back from the dead to deal judgment and send me to hell, but then when you informed me you where here to help me capture _Jack the Ripper_, (a name I came up with after slitting my first victim's throat when I saw she was clenching the photograph of her sweetheart in her hands, and his name happened to be Jack, and from there the pen name came to me by chance), and I thought it ironic. Oh so very ironic that I laughed.

On that same night, I found your disappearances queer, but they made sense. There are certain things and locations you could not enter, one being my very house for long extensions of time. Plus, your body was lacking blood, and you had to find some quickly before you withered away. After you vanished, I went after Rin to bring her home and explain the circumstances which surrounded us, but I never made it to her aid. She was just returning from her meeting with Kohaku when she was confronted with me, only it was not a sane me she was dealing with, rather my murderous side. I killed her with the knife I always carried with me, the very one she bought for me as a Christmas gift, and it's the same one that you have embedded in my stomach, Inuyasha. It's funny how we pay for our crimes. It's almost…humorous."

Sesshomaru chuckled softly, ignoring the blood that he spit out and locked eyes with his brother's. "I believe you want to know what evidence besides the dead bodies, link me to their deaths, no? Well let me begin with Rin's death since that was the first on you stumbled into. You observed, and concluded from your findings that she was with child. But had you taken closer care and attention, you would have smelt the faint odor of arsenic. That would have given you a hint. The next was obviously the letter and the handwriting even if it was a bit casual, you should have been able to identify it as mine. What else? Ah, yes my indifferent behaviour, that more then anything should have alerted you to my affairs. But you must recognize I gave a splendid and believable act. The cufflink was left on purpose to both assist you, yet confuse you. You can say it was a double-entendre if you like. Now, I think I have cleared everything for you." Sesshomaru smiled weakly and closed his eyes.

Inuyasha twisted the knife and hissed, "Oh no you don't bastard! Keep your eyes open. You're not dying until you tell me what you did to the bodies, and what you were looking for in the victims." Sesshomaru's handsome face contorted into pain, but he held it back behind his apathetical demeanor. His eyes fluttered open and he sighed painfully. "What I did to the bodies? Yes, what did I do to them? And what was I looking for? To answer the latter, nothing in particular, Inuyasha; I just wanted to cut open their stomachs and see the irony in living breathing creatures exquisiteness. As to your first, I feed them to the furnace." He seemed to be telling the truth, but Inuyasha was still on his guard. Know that he knew Sesshomaru was Jacky Boy, he was capable of anything, and would stop at nothing.

Sesshomaru placed his hand to his side without attracting Inuyasha's attention, and drew a long carving knife that was tucked inside his right boot, and held it firmly in his hands. He lowered his guilt-ridden eyes to the floor, and prepared to seize his chance when Inuyasha let down his guard. Their plight was not over, it had just begun. Someone had to die to recompense for those who had been murdered. Inuyasha read Sesshomaru's hooded expression as a sign that he felt remorse. And it was in that minuscule moment where he kicked Inuyasha away from him, and yanked out the knife from his stomach, and drew his attention to slitting his brother's throat and silencing him for ever. All remorse and guilt he had felt in the beginning, was pushed back into his mind.

Inuyasha ducked when the blade went sailing over his head, and he jumped back just in time to avoid being skewered. Armed with only the blunt butcher's knife versus a recently sharpened knife that was obliged to slitting necks, the fight wasn't exactly fair. But when dealing with a crazed sibling who despises you, what can you expect? Inuyasha moaned in pain when his side began to throb, he cursed and parried Sesshomaru's constant slashes. The half-demon spun on his heels and blocked his brother's offense. Instead of a groan, a vexed growl erupted from his much sought out esophagus, and did the most spontaneous thing that surprised them both.

Inuyasha hatched the blade in his hands directly to Sesshomaru's neck, cutting and tearing deep into flesh and causing blood to gash out like a water fountain. Blood splashed all over their faces and bodies. Crimson drops of red merged with salty tears he had wanted to stifle. A gagging sound came from the youngest trembling lips and he whispered shakily, "Sesshomaru, I—I didn't mean to…oh God what have I done! Sesshomaru, please keep your eyes open! Please!" Inuyasha wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the knife, and proceed to remove it from his brother's neck, when firm cold fingers laced around his wrist and held him close. Sesshomaru sustained his eyes open as he looked for perhaps the last time into his sibling's. A genuine smile that was not mad ugly with malevolence or madness, was present on his bloody face.

He kept Inuyasha's wrist in his hands as he said as steadily as he could, "Don't. Remove. It. _Please_. I deserve worst, but there isn't much time for a proper demise. Will you do me a last favour, Inuyasha, since I am your brother?" the blood from the wound on his neck bleed more profusely with each word he uttered. Even in death, the word _'please' _was still something he had a hard time saying. Inuyasha nodded his head; silently pleading he would stop talking and save his strength. But internally he asked why he wept for his muderous brother? He deserved this, no he was entitled to a worst death, but...Sesshomaru do no such thing. Instead he guided Inuyasha's hand to grasp the hilt and shoved the blade deeper into his throat. Inuyasha was of mind to draw back and yell at him for his stupidity, but when he saw the almost pleading look (though it could have clearly been mistaken for a cynical expression) in his brother's eyes, he could not.

"Good. Very Good. Embed it deeper, Inuyasha and finish what you started, please." Sesshomaru gargled over the blood flooding his mouth. Now the tears ran freely down Inuyasha's face and he did the hardest thing in all his life. He killed his brother in the same fashion Sesshomaru had slaughtered his victims. With his eyes closed, Inuyasha slashed the knife across Sesshomaru's neck and clearly heard the last words his brother ever said. "Thank you." Then it was all over. Inuyasha dropped the knife and collapsed down to his knees, and shed endless tears for his brother. He was ill, that was why he murdered. It was a catharsis thing. Inuyasha almost half believed it. He so desperately wanted it to be truth, but it wasn't.

Sesshomaru had loved the taste of blood, and in the end he got to taste the coppery bitterness of his most addicting humour in the end. Inuyasha covered Sesshomaru's body with his coat and stayed besides him until he knew it was time to leave. He didn't know what time it was and he didn't care. How many lives had been saved with Sesshomaru's death, Inuyasha wondered as he walked down the road leading away from the bloody hell he had left his brother to rot in?

He had sworn he would not shed a tear for him, but he wasn't made out of stone. He was composed of flesh and emotions, as was anyone else who was born into this cruel world filled with corruption, envy, hate, death, and sorrow. He had lost his only remaining kin to his own hand. That alone was enough to make him cry. Inuyasha stole a look towards the sky and saw that it was early morning. The air around him was cold; the day was already smoggy and gloomy. A very appropriate day to die he thought bitterly.

_The End to the Murders..._

————————————

_S/T: This is the last chapter to this story and then like someone wise once said, though the name eludes me at the moment, the rest is history. I wrote this chapter four times, and I'm not sure if it's good. I know it's a bit crappy, but it was the only ending I could think of that will fit decently into the last chapter. Anyhow, I'd like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. If only there was some way I could thank you all! I'm sorry for the occ-ness, but I had to give a dramatic exit for them. I really do hope it was enjoyable! Please review, my dears!_


End file.
